life support noun4 •An artificial system designed to provide oxygen and other conditions necessary for human life in an inhospitable environment. •The maintenance of vital functions of a critically ill or comatose person or a person undergoing surgery. •The equipment and special procedures used for life support. •(figurative) A means of sustaining existence or continuation of something, usually in an artificial manner when it should have changed or terminated in its natural environment.As we've seen, Belarus is a Soviet time capsule that continues only because Russia is keeping it on life support. — 2011
