advance directive

noun

Definition of advance directive

: a legal document (such as a living will) signed by a competent person to provide guidance for medical and health-care decisions (such as the termination of life support or organ donation) in the event the person becomes incompetent to make such decisions

Examples of advance directive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ruling in the case of a San Gabriel Valley man, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mary Thornton House said that in the event that there is no advance directive for a someone in a vegetative state, their partner can decide for them. — Richard Winton, latimes.com, "Judge rules that spouse has authority to remove partner's life support if there's no directive," 12 Mar. 2018 The city of LaCrosse, Wisconsin began a coordinated effort to encourage advance directives in the 1980s. — Michael K. Mcintyre, cleveland.com, "Sharing his final wishes among Dad's greatest gifts: Michael K. McIntyre," 29 Apr. 2018 The case, attorneys for Ana Romero said, illustrates the need for advance directives in California. — Richard Winton, latimes.com, "Judge rules that spouse has authority to remove partner's life support if there's no directive," 12 Mar. 2018 Read about how to prepare healthcare advance directives. — sandiegouniontribune.com, "Planning for long-term care," 25 Apr. 2018 Charities, advance directives and odds and ends For many people, especially dual-income couples with no kids who might have substantial assets to spread around, this is the moment to discuss charitable bequests. — John Schwartz, New York Times, "What It Was Like to Finally Write My Will," 3 Apr. 2018 Herbst will provide free 30-minute personal appointments to answer questions related to completing legal documents such as advance directives and durable power of attorney, as well as homeowner association, credit or other issues. — Linda Mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Veterans Assoc. of N.C. gets $100,000," 19 Mar. 2018 Carlsbad attorney Jeff Herbst offers free 30-minute personal appointments to answer questions about completing legal documents such as advance directives, durable power of attorney, as well as homeowner association, credit or other issues. — Linda Mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Boys & Girls Club receives 10K plus more community news," 8 Jan. 2018 Carlsbad attorney Jeff Herbst will provide free 30-minute personal appointments to answer questions relating to legal documents regarding advance directives, durable power of attorney, homeowner association, credit and other issues. — Linda Mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Church group serves dinner at shelter... more community news," 16 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'advance directive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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advanced degree

advanced fry

advanced in age/years

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The first known use of advance directive was in 1979

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More Definitions for advance directive

advance directive

noun

ad·vance di·rec·tive | \ əd-ˈvan(t)s-də-ˈrek-tiv, -dī-

Medical Definition of advance directive

: a legal document (as a living will) signed by a living competent person in order to provide guidance for medical and health-care decisions (as the termination of life support and organ donation) in the event that the person becomes incompetent to make such decisions

advance directive

noun

Legal Definition of advance directive

: a document (as a living will or health care power of attorney) in which a person expresses his or her wishes regarding medical treatment in the event of incapacity