breeches buoy

noun

A ring lifebuoy, fitted with canvas breeches, rigged between ship and shore, for rescuing seamen when a ship is in danger of breaking up; also used for transferring people from ship to ship at sea.

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Meanings

nounbreeches buoy (plural breeches buoys)

plural breeches buoys

  1. nauticalA ring lifebuoy, fitted with canvas breeches, rigged between ship and shore, for rescuing seamen when a ship is in danger of breaking up; also used for transferring people from ship to ship at sea.
Cite this entry
APA

breeches buoy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breeches%20buoy

MLA

“breeches buoy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breeches%20buoy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “breeches buoy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/breeches%20buoy.

Source: breeches buoy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.