lifeboat

IPA/ˈlaɪfbəʊt/
KK[lˈaɪfbˌot]IPA/ˈlaɪfbəʊt/

lifeboat — noun

  • lifeboatsingular
  • lifeboatsplural

1. a strong boat that waits near the coast and is launched at short notice to bring

1.nounB1
Definition

a strong boat that waits near the coast and is launched at short notice to bring back swimmers, sailors, or anyone struggling in rough water.

Example

The Cornish lifeboat raced into the storm to reach two fishermen on an overturned trawler.

subject + verb of motion (raced out) for rescue scenarios

Volunteers run the village lifeboat and train every Saturday on the beach.

collocation: run / crew / launch the lifeboat

Common collocations
  • launch the lifeboat
  • call out the lifeboat
  • lifeboat crew
  • lifeboat station
Synonyms
  • rescue boat

    broader; any boat used for rescue, not always coast-based

  • RNLI boat

    British, specific to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Usage Note

Subject is usually a coastal rescue service or volunteer crew. Often paired with verbs of motion (launch, call out, race out). Distinguish from sense 2: this boat is stationed on shore, not on board a ship.

Common Mistakes

The lifeboat is a part of the ship.
The lifeboat is kept at the harbour and goes out from the coast.
Sense 1 means the shore-based rescue craft, not a ship's onboard boat.

2. a smaller boat fixed to the side of a larger ship so passengers and crew can cli

2.nounB1
Definition

a smaller boat fixed to the side of a larger ship so passengers and crew can climb in and escape if the ship begins to sink.

Example

Passengers practised climbing into the lifeboat on the first morning of the cruise to Alaska.

collocation: climb into / get into a lifeboat

When the ferry began to tilt, Yumi grabbed her son and ran toward the nearest lifeboat.

named subject + emergency scene

Common collocations
  • climb into a lifeboat
  • lower the lifeboat
  • lifeboat drill
  • abandon ship to the lifeboats
Synonyms
  • escape boat

    descriptive; emphasises leaving a sinking vessel

  • survival craft

    formal / nautical; broader category including inflatable rafts

Usage Note

Always carried on board a larger ship. Frequently paired with 'climb into', 'lower', 'launch from the deck'. Distinguish from sense 1: this is the small onboard escape boat, not the shore-based rescue craft.

Common Mistakes

The lifeboat came from the beach to save us.
The lifeboat was lowered from the ship's side.
Sense 2 boats are carried on the ship itself, not stationed on shore.

Word family

  • lifeboatman
    nounC1
  • life jacket
    nounA2
  • lifeguard
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A lifeboat is purpose-built for saving lives at sea: strong hull, self-righting design, and either stationed on shore (sense 1) or fixed to a larger ship (sense 2). 'Rescue boat' is a broader cover term — any boat used in a rescue can be called one, including small inflatables used by river patrols or fire services. A 'dinghy' is a small open boat used mainly for short trips, sailing for fun, or rowing between a yacht and the shore; it is not designed for emergencies. A 'raft' has no engine and floats flat on the water — passengers cling to it rather than sit inside it. For example, after a yacht caught fire, the crew first jumped onto an inflatable raft, then a coastal lifeboat arrived to bring them safely back to the harbour.

lifeboat ↗rescue boatdinghy ↗raft ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • lifeboat crew
  • lifeboat station
  • lifeboat drill
  • lifeboat service

Phrases

  • launch the lifeboat
  • call out the lifeboat
  • climb into the lifeboat
  • lower the lifeboat

Prepositions

  • in the lifeboat
  • into the lifeboat
  • from the lifeboat
  • on the lifeboat

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in eighteenth-century English by joining 'life' (here meaning 'human life that needs saving') with 'boat'. The compound first appeared in print in the late 1700s, soon after the first purpose-built rescue craft were designed for British coasts. The two senses (shore rescue craft vs ship's onboard escape boat) grew out of the same idea: a sturdy small boat whose job is to keep people alive in water.