: a sturdy buoyant boat (such as one carried by a ship) for use in an emergency and especially in saving lives at sea
Examples of lifeboat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lovell and fellow crewmen, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, working with Houston ground controllers, then converted their lunar module into an effective lifeboat.
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Patricio Chile, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2025
An oxygen tank exploded during the April 1970 expedition, significantly damaging the spacecraft and forcing the three-person crew to use the Lunar Module as a lifeboat.
—EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Flight controllers and the crew used the lunar module as a lifeboat to return safely to Earth.
—Anna Commander
hannah Parry
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
Aerial footage from a police helicopter showed rescuers diving into the water to pull swimmers to the safety of a lifeboat.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lifeboat
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Patricio Chile, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2025
An oxygen tank exploded during the April 1970 expedition, significantly damaging the spacecraft and forcing the three-person crew to use the Lunar Module as a lifeboat.
—EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Flight controllers and the crew used the lunar module as a lifeboat to return safely to Earth.
—Anna Commander
hannah Parry
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
Aerial footage from a police helicopter showed rescuers diving into the water to pull swimmers to the safety of a lifeboat.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lifeboat
Cite this Entry
“Lifeboat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifeboat. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lifeboat
noun
life·boat
-ˌbōt 
: a sturdy boat (as one carried by a ship) for use in an emergency and especially for saving lives at sea
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