iron lung

American  

noun

1. a chamberlike respirator, formerly used in the treatment of poliomyelitis, that encloses the whole body except the head and in which alternate pulsations of high and low pressure induce normal breathing movements or force air into and out of the lungs.

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iron lung British  

noun

1. an airtight metal cylinder enclosing the entire body up to the neck and providing artificial respiration when the respiratory muscles are paralysed, as by poliomyelitis

2. informal a gas container used in dispensing beer

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Etymology

Origin of iron lung

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

iron lung

"She could do things most iron lung patients couldn't do," McVey said.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Lane spent the next several months in an iron lung.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024

In 2015, his iron lung began to leak.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024

That led his parents to make the brave decision to take him and his iron lung home, to live out his days in peace.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024

Cootie spent a year inside an iron lung that breathed for him, and he’d been in and out of hospitals ever since.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot