Phrase guide

life preserver

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A buoyant ring or vest intended to keep a person afloat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: life buoy

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A short club with a weighted end.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see life, preserver.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: preserver, flotation device

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: float, rescue equipment

Narrower terms: life buoy, lifesaver, life belt, life ring, life jacket, life vest, cork jacket, water wings

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سُتْرَةُ نَجَاةٍ (sutratu najātin) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Arabic: سُتْرَةُ النَجَاةِ (sutratu al-najāti) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Arabic: طَوْفُ نَجَاةٍ (ṭawfu najātin) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Arabic: طَوْفُ النَجَاةِ (ṭawfu al-najāti) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Armenian: փրկօղակ (pʻrkōġak) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Catalan: salvavides — buoyant ring or vest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 救生浮袋 (jiùshēng fúdài) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 救生器 (jiùshēngqì) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 救生圈 (jiùshēngquān) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Dutch: reddingsboei — buoyant ring or vest
  • Finnish: pelastusrengas — buoyant ring or vest
  • French: gilet de sauvetage — buoyant ring or vest
  • French: bouée de sauvetage — buoyant ring or vest
  • German: Rettungsweste — buoyant ring or vest
  • German: Rettungsring — buoyant ring or vest
  • German: Rettungsreifen — buoyant ring or vest
  • Greek: σωσίβιο (sosívio) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Hebrew: גלגל הצלה (galgál hatsalá) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Hungarian: mentőöv — buoyant ring or vest
  • Hungarian: mentőmellény — buoyant ring or vest
  • Icelandic: björgunarhringur — buoyant ring or vest
  • Icelandic: björgunarvesti — buoyant ring or vest
  • Indonesian: pelampung penolong — buoyant ring or vest
  • Indonesian: penolong keselamatan — buoyant ring or vest
  • Indonesian: pelampung keselamatan — buoyant ring or vest
  • Italian: salvagente — buoyant ring or vest
  • Italian: ciambella di salvataggio — buoyant ring or vest
  • Japanese: 浮き輪 (ukiwa) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Korean: 구명부환 (gumyeongbuhwan) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Korean: 구명부표 (gumyeongbupyo) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Korean: 구명(救命)부이 (gumyeongbu'i) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Korean: 구명환 (gumyeonghwan) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Latgalian: gluobšonys rypuļs — buoyant ring or vest
  • Latin: cortex — buoyant ring or vest
  • Malay: boya keselamatan — buoyant ring or vest
  • Malay: pemelihara keselamatan — buoyant ring or vest
  • Norwegian Bokmål: livbøye — buoyant ring or vest
  • Norwegian Bokmål: redningsvest — buoyant ring or vest
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: livbøye — buoyant ring or vest
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: redningsvest — buoyant ring or vest
  • Portuguese: boia salva-vidas — buoyant ring or vest
  • Romanian: colac de salvare — buoyant ring or vest
  • Romanian: vestă de salvare — buoyant ring or vest
  • Russian: спаса́тельный жиле́т (spasátelʹnyj žilét) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Russian: спаса́тельный круг (spasátelʹnyj krug) — buoyant ring or vest
  • Upper Sorbian: wuchowanska rynka — buoyant ring or vest
  • Spanish: salvavidas — buoyant ring or vest
  • Swedish: livboj — buoyant ring or vest
  • Swedish: flytväst — buoyant ring or vest
  • Tagalog: salbabida — buoyant ring or vest
  • Turkish: can simidi — buoyant ring or vest
  • Vietnamese: phao cứu sinh — buoyant ring or vest