lifeboat

[ lahyf-boht ]

/ ˈlaɪfˌboʊt /

a double-ended ship's boat, constructed, mounted, and provisioned so as to be readily able to rescue and maintain persons from a sinking vessel.

a similarly constructed boat used by shore-based rescue services.

Origin of lifeboat

First recorded in 1795–1805; life + boat

A rising tide lifts all boats…but a lifeboat carrying a few, surrounded by many treading water, risks capsizing.

The Big, Long, 30-Year Conservative Lie |Monica Potts |August 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But the pirates sabotage the deal and make off in a lifeboat with Phillips, along with $30,000 in cash.

Tom Hanks on His Riveting Oscar Moment That Ends ‘Captain Phillips’ |Marlow Stern |October 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
After an incredibly suspenseful standoff, the marksmen take out the pirates in the lifeboat, saving Phillips.

Tom Hanks on His Riveting Oscar Moment That Ends ‘Captain Phillips’ |Marlow Stern |October 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Like when Smith and his family managed to crowd onto a lifeboat—which then failed to deploy.

Abandoned Ship: New Book Details Honeymooners’ Costa Concordia Nightmare |Barbie Latza Nadeau |January 10, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

The Countess deftly steered the lifeboat, a resolute and unlikely vision in her ermine and pearls.

The Titanic’s Haute Heroine: The Countess of Rothes |Elizabeth Kaye |April 12, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The lifeboat “Leicester,” presented by Mrs. Hodges, launched at Gorleston.

Chronological Retrospect of the History of Yarmouth and Neighbourhood |William Finch-Crisp
To send out the lifeboat upon such a wild-goose chase would be to turn himself into a laughing-stock.

Stella Fregelius |H. Rider Haggard
He backed out of the big ship and consulted the charts of the lifeboat.

The Pirates of Ersatz |Murray Leinster
Some of that canvas will come in handy, remarked Joe, as he pulled a large piece of it from the lifeboat.

Tom Fairfield at Sea |Allen Chapman
And this beneficial influence of our lifeboat service travels far beyond our own shores.

Battles with the Sea |R.M. Ballantyne

lifeboat

/ (ˈlaɪfˌbəʊt) /

a boat, propelled by oars or a motor, used for rescuing people at sea, escaping from a sinking ship, etc

informal a fund set up by the dealers in a market to rescue any member who may become insolvent as a result of a collapse in market prices