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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of life-support

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

It will have four astronauts aboard serving mainly as guinea pigs to validate life-support systems and collect biomedical data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Jensen-Lee died on 31 March 2024 in his mother's arms after life-support in hospital was removed.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

Wildfire safety experts hope the state someday adopts building standards for truly fire-proof structures that could withstand even the most extreme conditions and come equipped with life-support systems.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

As Wigington notes at one point during the episode, “It’s virtually dismantling the planet’s primary life-support systems and ubiquitously contaminating everything everywhere.”

From Slate • Nov. 12, 2025

Or will we think on longer time scales, with concern for our children and our grandchildren, to understand and protect the complex life-support systems of our planet?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan