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life jacket

life jacket

9 1.4
A jacket that helps a person float in water
  • noun
  • /laɪf ˈdʒækɪt/
: chaleco salvavidas
  • I didn't bring my life jacket.
  • wear life jackets
  • put on a life jacket
  • get a life jacket

The survivors were mostly men because they'd taken the life jackets from the women and children.

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Examples

  • Underneath your seats, you will find your life jackets.

  • I remember having my camera in one hand and a life jacket in the other.

    Blog text (12)
  • - I need a life jacket.

  • Hey, I need a life jacket.

  • But it was hard swimming with the life jacket on.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Guys, guys, the Captain wants everybody to put on their life jackets.

  • If you can't swim, wear a life jacket.

  • Pull the red cord to inflate your life jacket.

  • Without hesitating, Michelle threw on her life jacket, jumped overboard, and swam as fast as she could toward Lexi.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Everyone on the boat was required to wear a life jacket for safety.

Synonyms

preserver
vslife jacket
  • US
13 4.1

A floating jacket that keeps a person above water

is narrower, naming only the sleeveless wearable version of that aid
life preserver
vslife jacket
  • US
12 2.5

A ring or jacket that helps a person float in water

is specific to the sleeveless wearable form rather than any buoyant device
life vest
vslife jacket
  • US
8 1.7

A jacket you wear to help you float in water

has the same meaning but uses a different common word for the garment
floatie
vslife jacket
  • Baby Talk
4 4.7

An inflatable band worn on the arms to help a person float in water

is a full torso wearable made for flotation rather than small arm aids
life ring
vslife jacket
  • US
2 2.7

A round object you throw to someone in water to help them float

is a wearable flotation garment meant to be worn, not thrown
life belt
vslife jacket
  • UK
2 1.9

A round floating ring worn around the body to keep a person afloat in water

is a wearable that fits the torso rather than a ring around the body
lifesaver
vslife jacket
  • US
2 3.1

A ring that floats and you throw to someone who is drowning

is a wearable form to keep someone afloat instead of a thrown ring
air jacket
vslife jacket
1 4.1

An inflatable vest that keeps you afloat in water

is similar but covers both inflatable and filled versions
cork jacket
vslife jacket
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A sleeveless jacket made of cork that helps you float in water

is the modern inflatable or filled wearable rather than the historical cork type

How Buoyant

life buoy
  • UK
1 3.2
life jacket
9 1.4

Surface Forms

life jacket singular
life jackets plural

Morphology

life + jacket

The meaning 'a jacket worn to keep a person afloat and preserve life' is directly and literally composed from 'life' (relating to preserving life) + 'jacket' (an outer garment). This is a straightforward, compositional compound found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The compound life jacket is a literal image: a jacket that helps protect your life by making you float in water. That's why it means 'a jacket that helps you stay alive and float'.