life preserver

1. A buoyant device, usually in the shape of a ring, belt, or jacket, designed to keep a person afloat in the water.

2. Chiefly British A weapon, such as a blackjack.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

life preserver

1. (Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) Brit a club or bludgeon, esp one kept for self-defence

2. (Nautical Terms) US and Canadian a life belt or life jacket

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

life′ preserv`er

1. a buoyant jacket, belt, or other like device for keeping a person afloat.

2. Brit. Slang. a blackjack.

[1630–40]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

life preserver - rescue equipment consisting of a buoyant belt or jacket to keep a person from drowning

flotation device, preserver

float - something that floats on the surface of water

life buoy, life ring, lifesaver, life belt - a life preserver in the form of a ring of buoyant material

cork jacket, life jacket, life vest - life preserver consisting of a sleeveless jacket of buoyant or inflatable design

rescue equipment - equipment used to rescue passengers in case of emergency

water wings - a life preserver consisting of a connected pair of inflatable bags that fit under a person's arms and provide buoyancy; used by children learning to swim

Translations

طَوْقُ النَّجَاة مِنَ الغَرَقِ

záchranný pás

redningsbælte

Rettungsgürtel

ζώνη ασφαλείας σωσίβιο

salvavidas

pelastusrengas

bouée de sauvetage

pojas za spašavanje

bastone animato cintura di sicurezza salvagente

救命ベルト

구명띠

rešilni pas

livbälte

ห่วงยาง

cankurtaran simidi

đai cứu đắm

救生圈

life preserver

[ˈlaɪfprɪˌzɜːvəʳ] n

a. (Am) (life belt) → salvagente m; (life jacket) → giubbotto di salvataggio

b. (Brit) (bludgeon) → sfollagente m inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

life preserver

→ طَوْقُ النَّجَاة مِنَ الغَرَقِ záchranný pás redningsbælte Rettungsgürtel ζώνη ασφαλείας salvavidas pelastusrengas bouée de sauvetage pojas za spašavanje cintura di sicurezza 救命ベルト 구명띠 zwemband livbelte pas ratunkowy cinto salva-vidas спасательный пояс livbälte ห่วงยาง cankurtaran simidi đai cứu đắm 救生圈

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

It's like drowning with a life preserver in my reach.

View in context

Northbury her model, Jo rashly took a plunge into the frothy sea of sensational literature, but thanks to the life preserver thrown her by a friend, she came up again not much the worse for her ducking.

View in context

He glanced at Ruth for reassurance, much in the same manner that a passenger, with sudden panic thought of possible shipwreck, will strive to locate the life preservers. Well, that much had come out of it - love and Ruth.

View in context

Lanahan's Life Preservers?" Another would be jocular in tone, slapping you on the back, so to speak.

View in context

Caption: Sergei Diaghilev, who was terrified of the sea, posing with a life preserver aboard a ship

90 Years Ago This Month

* Swimming pools would have to be equipped with a government-approved lifesaving device such as a life preserver or life jacket and would have to have a working pump and filtering system if the pool cannot be emptied after each use.

DCFS proposes new, stricter rules for foster homes

Adorn your bathroom walls with nautical decor such as a ship wheel, anchor and life preserver. Let your shower curtains and bathroom rugs join in the fun by getting prints featuring marine life.

Your ultimate beach haven at Nasacosta

By the time John Horn died in Detroit on April 12, 1920, his total rescue count had risen to 135 individuals, making him Michigan's champion life preserver. He was buried in Woodmere Cemetery and, thereafter, slowly forgotten.

PROFILES those who have left an impression upon the Great Lakes State

He says the fulfillment team "drills for these kind of events," and when they saw the devastation, they quickly pulled out their risk management playbook to create a "pop up," multi-brand online fulfillment center at its Gallatin, Tenn., location that served as a life preserver for the 2016 peak.

Gap Inc. embraces disruption

Bereft of hope, Kaitlin's son, Christopher, becomes a life preserver, keeping the family buoyant.

Kaitlin's Mooring

The owner of a TV station in Montgomery, Ala., for more than three decades has thrown out a life preserver to another television facility licensed to nearby Troy, Ala., by agreeing to acquire it.

Woods Seeks A 'Failing' TV Station In Alabama