Lifeline Meaning
/ˈlaɪfˌlaɪn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling.
nounA source of salvation in a crisis.
Sentence Examples
This road is the lifeline that links these villages to the rest of the world.
This is an economic lifeline for Algeria.
Trusting my instincts felt like a lifeline when I hesitated.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The firefighter threw a rope as a ____ to the trapped person.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
For many small businesses, the new government grant was a vital ____ that helped them survive the crisis.
Word Origin & History
From life + line.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The girls, of course, were my lifeline during this time."
— 2012, Melissa Rycroft, My Reality, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The firefighter threw a rope as a ____ to the trapped person.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
For many small businesses, the new government grant was a vital ____ that helped them survive the crisis.