1.
[syn: line of life, life line, lifeline]
2. support that enables people to survive or to continue doing something (often by providing an essential connection);
- Example: "the airlift provided a lifeline for Berlin"
- Example: "she offered me a lifeline in my time of grief"
3. line that raises or lowers a deep-sea diver;
4. line thrown from a vessel that people can cling to in order to save themselves from drowning;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
lifeline \lifeline\ n.
1. The anem given to one of the creases on the palm; its
length is said by palmists to indicate how long one will
live.
Syn: line of life, life line.
[WordNet 1.5]
2. A line or rope which raises or lowers a deep-sea diver.
[WordNet 1.5]
3. A line from a vessel that people in a body of water can
cling to to save themselves from drowning.
[WordNet 1.5]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
lifeline
n 1: a crease on the palm; its length is said by palmists to
indicate how long you will live [syn: line of life, life
line, lifeline]
2: support that enables people to survive or to continue doing
something (often by providing an essential connection); "the
airlift provided a lifeline for Berlin"; "she offered me a
lifeline in my time of grief"
3: line that raises or lowers a deep-sea diver
4: line thrown from a vessel that people can cling to in order
to save themselves from drowning
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
87 Moby Thesaurus words for "lifeline":
Mae West, aegis, arm guard, backstop, bolt-hole, breeches buoy,
buffer, bulwark, bumper, buoy, contraceptive, copyright,
cork jacket, crash helmet, cushion, dashboard, dodger,
ejection capsule, ejection seat, ejector seat, emergency exit,
escape hatch, face mask, fender, finger guard, fire escape,
foot guard, fuse, goggles, governor, guard, guardrail, hand guard,
handrail, hard hat, helmet, inflatable slide, insulation,
interlock, knee guard, knuckle guard, laminated glass, life belt,
life buoy, life jacket, life net, life preserver, life raft,
life ring, life vest, lifeboat, lightning conductor, lightning rod,
mask, mudguard, nose guard, pad, padding, palladium, parachute,
patent, pilot, preventive, prophylactic, protective clothing,
protective umbrella, rubber dinghy, safeguard, safety, safety belt,
safety glass, safety plug, safety rail, safety shoes,
safety switch, safety valve, sally port, screen, seat belt, shield,
shin guard, slide, sun helmet, umbrella, water wings, windscreen,
windshield