adj, noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The act of saving a life, especially from drowning. uncountable

   "I’m normally a big fan of lifesaving, but in his case we can make an exception."

2. 2
   saving the lives of drowning persons wordnet

Adjective

1. 1
   Alternative form of life-saving. alt-of, alternative, uncommon

   "The lifesaving surgery is expensive, but so is a funeral."

Synonyms

All synonyms

deliverancedeliveryextricationfreeingliberationransom

Example

More examples

"The pharmaceutical company raised the price of a lifesaving drug overnight."

Etymology

From life + saving.

Related phrases

surf lifesaving

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.