life-support

American  

[lahyf-suh-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈlaɪf səˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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life-support British  

adjective

1. of or providing the equipment required to sustain human life in an unnatural environment, such as in space, or in severe illness or disability

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Etymology

Origin of life-support

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

"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

Watch how LIV Golf tried to reinvent the game of golf — and why it’s now on life support as its main backer pulls the plug.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 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

He was taken to hospital in Miami and has since returned home, sharing in a post on X: "The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask."

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

"We haven't found any way to make that happen, no. His life support alone takes more energy than that."

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir