life-support system
noun
: an artificial or natural system that provides all or some of the items (such as oxygen, food, water, control of temperature and pressure, disposition of carbon dioxide and body wastes) necessary for maintaining life or health
Examples of life-support system in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the placenta is an organ that’s formed during pregnancy that functions as a life-support system for the baby.
—
Korin Miller, Health.com, 18 Sep. 2020
Dubbed the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), the suit will be equipped with the latest and greatest tech that a billion bucks can get, including cameras, lights and a life-support system.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 Aug. 2021
While the small spacecraft in which astronauts fly today carry food and oxygen as consumables and use a simply chemical method to remove carbon dioxide from the air, this type of life-support system will not swing on a colony.
—David Warmflash, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2014
The life-support system, instrumentation, and ejection seat were also located in the cabin, according to NASA.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2022
First introduced in Spider-Man comics in the 1980s, Madame Web is a blind clairvoyant woman who lived in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web.
—Kevin Slane, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022
In the Marvel comics, Madame Web is a clairvoyant mutant with powerful psychic abilities who lives in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2022
Whether in orbital habitats or on long-haul interplanetary voyages, plants could not only be sustainable food sources but also helpful components of a life-support system by virtue of producing oxygen and scrubbing the air of excess carbon dioxide.
—Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 2 June 2022
Dad is his final days, hooked up to a life-support system in the living room and being cared for by a longtime housekeeper (Kimberly Guerrero) and a friendly hospice worker (Gilbert Owuor).
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2022
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Korin Miller, Health.com, 18 Sep. 2020
Dubbed the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), the suit will be equipped with the latest and greatest tech that a billion bucks can get, including cameras, lights and a life-support system.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 Aug. 2021
While the small spacecraft in which astronauts fly today carry food and oxygen as consumables and use a simply chemical method to remove carbon dioxide from the air, this type of life-support system will not swing on a colony.
—David Warmflash, Discover Magazine, 8 Sep. 2014
The life-support system, instrumentation, and ejection seat were also located in the cabin, according to NASA.
—Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 6 Sep. 2022
First introduced in Spider-Man comics in the 1980s, Madame Web is a blind clairvoyant woman who lived in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web.
—Kevin Slane, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022
In the Marvel comics, Madame Web is a clairvoyant mutant with powerful psychic abilities who lives in a complex life-support system resembling a spider web.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2022
Whether in orbital habitats or on long-haul interplanetary voyages, plants could not only be sustainable food sources but also helpful components of a life-support system by virtue of producing oxygen and scrubbing the air of excess carbon dioxide.
—Joanna Thompson, Scientific American, 2 June 2022
Dad is his final days, hooked up to a life-support system in the living room and being cared for by a longtime housekeeper (Kimberly Guerrero) and a friendly hospice worker (Gilbert Owuor).
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'life-support system.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1959, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of life-support system was
in 1959
Dictionary Entries Near life-support system
Cite this Entry
“Life-support system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life-support%20system. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
life-support system
noun
: a system that provides all or some of the items (as oxygen, food, water, proper temperature and air pressure, elimination of carbon dioxide and body wastes) necessary for maintaining life or health
Medical Definition
life-support system
noun
: a system that provides all or some of the items (as oxygen, food, water, and disposition of carbon dioxide and body wastes) necessary for maintaining life or health: as
a
: one used to maintain the health of a person or animal in outer space, underwater, or in a mine
b
: one used to maintain the life of an injured or ill person unable to maintain certain physiological processes without artificial support
More from Merriam-Webster on life-support system
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about life-support system
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