[verb] [T] -dd- [disapproving] - to protect (people, esp. workers, or something such as a company) too much and make things easy for them(disapproving) If a government featherbeds an industry, it gives it a lot of help, such as lower taxes, esp. so that jobs will not be lost.
FEATHERBED
Meaning of FEATHERBED in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012