National Health Service

American  

[nash-uh-nl helth sur-vis, nash-nuhl] / ˈnæʃ ə nl ˈhɛlθ ˌsɜr vɪs, ˈnæʃ nəl /

noun

1. Great Britain’s publicly funded network of healthcare systems: often used in the United Kingdom as an umbrella term that also includes the Health and Social Care of Northern Ireland. NHS

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National Health Service British  

noun

1. Abbreviation: NHS.  (in Britain) the system of national medical services since 1948, financed mainly by taxation

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Etymology

Origin of National Health Service

First recorded in 1880–85 as a recommendation; established in 1946

Example Sentences

The National Health Service, which Streeting oversaw until he quit earlier this month, was one of the principal beneficiaries.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

To avoid this outcome, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service discourages anyone over 10 years of age from consuming more than 30 grams of added sugars a day.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026

The three-year trial evaluated more than 142,000 patients between the ages of 50 and 77 within the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

He demonstrates good instincts whenever he speaks—with surprising frankness—about the need to reform Britain’s National Health Service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

‘I read some interesting figures yesterday. If everyone in Britain gave up smoking, the National Health Service would save—’ ‘Ted!’

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd