Dictionary

save someone's life en · VERB

Meanings

1. To prevent someone from dying.
   • The lifeguard saved the kid's life by doing CPR.
   • Just a few months ago in a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin's bullet ripped through my ear, but I felt then and believe even more so now that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to Make America Great Again. 2025 January 20, Donald Trump, Inaugural Address (2025):
2. (idiomatic) To prevent someone from getting into trouble, or to rescue them from it.
   • The captain did a safety drill. This covered where the emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was located, how to make a mayday call, and where the fire extinguishers were. A crew member demonstrated how to put on an immersion suit. These survival suits are waterproof full-body garments with a hood and integral three-finger gloves and boots. They are bulky and hard to get on but far more likely to save your life in cold water than a lifejacket. 2025 October 21, Rose George, “‘I knew in my head we were dying’: the last voyage of the Scandies Rose”, in The Guardian:
   • My buddy saved my life by lending me a thousand bucks when I was dead broke.

Forms

Coordinates

bail out · lend a hand · throw someone a bone · give someone a hand · give someone a break

Relateds

lifesaver · lifesaving

Synonyms

save someone's ass · pull someone's bacon out of the fire · save someone's bacon · save someone's bacon · save someone's skin · save someone's ass · save someone's skin · throw someone a rope · pull someone's bacon out of the fire