lifesaving

1 of 2

adjective

life·​sav·​ing ˈlīf-ˌsā-viŋ How to pronounce lifesaving (audio)
: designed for or used in saving lives
lifesaving drugs

lifesaving

2 of 2

noun

: the skill or practice of saving or protecting the lives especially of drowning persons

Example Sentences

Noun All lifeguards are trained in lifesaving.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Some rabbis, evangelical church leaders and imams have also worked to debunk misinformation about vaccines and endorse them as safe and lifesaving. Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2021 Other passengers have verbally abused and taunted flight attendants trying to enforce airline mask requirements, treating the potentially lifesaving act as a pandemic game of cat-and-mouse. Michael Laris, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Jan. 2021 As more public health officials have recommended face coverings, shortages in vital protective gear have turned ordinary citizens, fashion designers, and luxury brands into lifesaving mask-makers. Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 June 2020 Recent reporting by The Times reveals that the United States has only about 160,000 ventilators available — far fewer than what is needed to provide lifesaving treatments in the most critical cases. New York Times, 31 Mar. 2020 The order comes in response to a federal lawsuit filed in late March by two elderly Texas inmates who argued they were denied access to potentially lifesaving tools to combat the pandemic. Dave Boucher, Dallas News, 15 May 2020 Trump last month invoked the Defense Production Act to compel U.S. companies to make the lifesaving equipment, which is running in short supply in hot spots across the country. Dominick Mastrangelo, Washington Examiner, 6 Apr. 2020 The group started by providing people with Narcan, a lifesaving medication that can treat narcotic overdoses in emergency situations. NBC News, 6 Mar. 2020 Using this crude formula to produce her ashy, greasy water, Nini would have made the most lifesaving medical product ever developed by humankind. Cody Cassidy, Time, 5 May 2020
Noun
Murphy said that introducing people to others who have survived their own substance use battles in crucial moments that bring them to the hospital with emergency situations or medical events can be a lifesaving step. Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2023 But emerging from the pandemic, Dallas Animal Services has been overwhelmed by new challenges to both its lifesaving and public-safety aims. Dallas News, 4 Nov. 2022 But new research published in Nature Medicine this week is putting the possibility of life changing — and lifesaving — treatments on the horizon. Megan Schmidt, Discover Magazine, 18 Jan. 2019 Then there is the issue of who should get scarce lifesaving treatments: one who has been vaccinated or one who has refused the vaccine? Ryan Liu, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2022 During training, conscripts will work with modern weapons such as drones and practice first aid and lifesaving skills. Eric Cheung, CNN, 27 Dec. 2022 Some five million people are receiving food from the authorities, World Food Program and charities, according to the U.N., which has made an appeal to raise $160 million to cover immediate lifesaving aid. Saeed Shah, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2022 Telescopes will determine whether Dimorphos was nudged out of its regular orbit, which could be a lifesaving feat if a major asteroid ever approached Earth. Summer Meza, The Week, 25 Sep. 2022 As paramedics were attempting lifesaving procedures, firefighters noticed extensive heat throughout the home and found that the fire had burned itself out in the victim’s bedroom, fire officials said. Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 31 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lifesaving.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lifesaving was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near lifesaving

Cite this Entry

“Lifesaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifesaving. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

lifesaving

1 of 2 adjective
life·​sav·​ing ˈlīf-ˌsā-viŋ How to pronounce lifesaving (audio)
: designed for or used in saving lives
livesaving devices

lifesaving

2 of 2 noun
: the methods that can be used to save lives especially of drowning persons

Medical Definition

lifesaving

1 of 2 adjective
life·​sav·​ing ˈlīf-ˌsā-viŋ How to pronounce lifesaving (audio)
: designed for or used in saving lives
lifesaving drugs

lifesaving

2 of 2 noun
: the skill or practice of saving or protecting the lives especially of drowning persons

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