Dictionary

lifeline en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• līfʹlīn'
• (UK) audio
• /ˈlaɪfˌlaɪn/

Etymology

From life + line.

Meanings

1. A line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling.
2. (broadly) A source of salvation in a crisis.
   • Slowly I began to fill up some of the emptiness inside—writing had become my lifeline. 2012, Aaron Dixon, My People Are Rising, Haymarket Books, →ISBN, page 64:
   • The Government has thrown a lifeline to Alstom's Derby Works, with an offer of an order for ten Class 345 nine-car electric multiple units (EMUs) for the Elizabeth line - but only if the 'price is right'. 2024 May 1, Mel Holley, “Network News: Elizabeth line '345s' offer a lifeline for Derby Works”, in RAIL, number 1008, page 8:
   • The girls, of course, were my lifeline during this time. 2012, Melissa Rycroft, My Reality, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
3. A means or route for transporting indispensable supplies.
   • Planners did not see the access routes as west Berlin's sole lifeline, which now seems instinctive to us. 2012, Daniel F. Harrington, Berlin on the Brink, University Press of Kentucky, →ISBN, page 9:
   • Oil and liquefied natural gas tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz carry around 20% of the world’s supply. But for countries on the Persian Gulf, the waterway is more than just an energy route – it’s a lifeline for more than 100 million people. 2026 March 20, Eleni Giokos, “The Strait of Hormuz is about more than just oil. It feeds 100 million people”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 23 Mar 2026:
   • It is no real surprise that half the UK's stations and 5,000 miles of route were recommended to close. Nevertheless, some great mistakes were made in Marples' devil-may-care purge that left commuters stranded and seaside resorts without a lifeline. 2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 50:
4. A system or structure of vital importance to a community.
5. On the deck of a boat, a line to which one can attach oneself to stay aboard on rough seas.
6. A line from the diver to a tender at the surface control point.
7. (qualifier:palmistry) A particular crease in the palm.

Forms

Descendants

ライフライン

Synonyms

line of life · jackstay · tether

Translations (28)

hu életvonal ((palmistry) crease in the palm) · de Rettungsanker (means of salvation in a crisis) · fr ligne de vie ((palmistry) crease in the palm) · sv livlina (safety line on the deck of a boat) · bg спасително въже (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · fi elintärkeä järjestelmä (system of vital importance) · de Lebensader (means or route for transporting indispensable supplies) · fr cordon ombilical (means or route for transporting indispensable supplies) · fi elämänlanka (safety line on the deck of a boat) · fi elämänlanka (means or route for transporting indispensable supplies) · fr planche de salut (means of salvation in a crisis) · fr bouée de sauvetage (means of salvation in a crisis) · de Rettungsleine (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · cmn 生命線 /生命线 ((palmistry) crease in the palm) · ga téad sábhála (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · fi oljenkorsi (means of salvation in a crisis) · cy rhaff achub (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · cs záchranné lano (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · ru спаса́тельный трос (safety line on the deck of a boat) · pl linia ratownicza (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · sv livlina (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · nb livslinje (means or route for transporting indispensable supplies) · cs záchranné lano (means of salvation in a crisis) · ga líne tharrthála (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · nn livslinje (means or route for transporting indispensable supplies) · fi pelastusköysi (line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling) · ko 생명선 ((palmistry) crease in the palm) · cy rhaff achub (means of salvation in a crisis)