Definition of "lifeline" []

• An anchored line thrown as a support to someone falling or drowning. (noun)
• A line shot to a ship in distress. (noun)
• A line used to raise and lower deep-sea divers. (noun)
• A means or route by which necessary supplies are transported. (noun)
• One that is or is regarded as a source of salvation in a crisis. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Liverpool, which routed both United and Villa before the two-week international break, looked set to squander the title lifeline those results provided in a frustrating match at Fulham."
• "In order to succeed, both personally and professionally, you need to be surrounded by an indispensable circle of trusted advisers, mentors, and colleagues -- what I call lifeline relationships."
• "However, she also signaled she would fight the cut in funding for small-business development centers, which she described as a "lifeline that we must strengthen not weaken.""