life support

/ˈlaɪf səˌpɔrt/
adjective
  1. Relating to or providing medical life-support equipment or systems.
    • They installed a life-support system in the ambulance.
    • The hospital has a dedicated life-support unit for critical patients.
    • Life-support training is required for all intensive care nurses.
noun
  1. Medical equipment or techniques used to keep a person alive when their vital organs are not functioning properly.
    • Modern life-support machines can help a person breathe and maintain heart function.
    • Doctors decided to remove life-support when there was no hope of recovery.
    • The patient was kept on life-support after the accident until his condition improved.
  2. Something that provides essential support or sustenance to keep a system, organization, or activity going.
    • The government grant was the life-support for the struggling community center.
    • The new funding acted as a life-support for the failing business.
    • Without volunteers, the charity would be on life-support.
What does "life support" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean