living will

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noun

a document instructing physicians, relatives, or others to refrain from the use of extraordinary measures, as life-support equipment, to prolong one's life in the event of a terminal illness.

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Origin of living will

First recorded in 1970–75

Words nearby living will

Livingstone daisy, living stones, living trust, living unit, living wage, living will, Livonia, Livonian, livor mortis, Livorno, livraison

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use living will in a sentence

Do not put funeral directives in either a will or living will.
Hints From Heloise: Framing family memories|Heloise Heloise|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Patrick Klugman, the deputy mayor of Paris, said: “We are living our kind of 9/11,” he said.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Last week I turned 40, a bittersweet occasion because I crossed the line to living longer without my mother than with her.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But as an American creating a new brand here, and living the daily life of the souk, he seems to be in a league of his own.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech|Liza Foreman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A single father, he had been living abroad and returned when his mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone|Samantha Levine|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For those living in poor communities in particular, interactions with police rarely come with good news and a smile.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis|Keli Goff|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And with some expressions of mutual good-will and interest, master and man separated.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
For this use of the voice in the special service of will-power, or propelling force, it is necessary first to test its freedom.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
To be so humbled in the knowledge of any living being, was the vultures of Prometheus to the proud heart of Ripperda.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The Marshals were inclined to attribute their disgrace to the ill-will of Berthier and not to the temper of Napoleon.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison

British Dictionary definitions for living will

living will

noun

a document stating that if its author becomes terminally ill, his or her life should not be prolonged by artificial means, such as a life-support machine

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012