life-support
Americanadjective
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of or relating to equipment or measures that sustain or artificially substitute for essential body functions, as breathing or disposal of body wastes.
Without life-support equipment, the patient might die.
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of or relating to equipment or measures that provide, within a surrounding hostile environment, as outer space or ocean depths, a life-sustaining environment similar to that found on the earth's surface.
the life-support system of a spacecraft or submarine.
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of or relating to anything that fosters or sustains life, success, or continued existence, as of a person, thing, or nation.
the life-support system of the economy.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of life-support
First recorded in 1955–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We hope this will be the last war, because our villages in the south... are currently on life support," she said.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
After he was connected to a life support machine, he was diagnosed with hantavirus, and spent around three weeks in hospital.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The prosecutor said: "John McNab went into cardiac arrest. Advanced life support measures were carried out, with efforts continuing for some 40 minutes, unfortunately without success."
From BBC • May 6, 2026
After spending recent weeks on life support, LIV Golf has lost the funding of its Saudi backers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Once it lands here, they'll ditch the heat shield, all the life support stuff, and a bunch of empty fuel tanks.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.