vitals
Americanplural noun
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those bodily organs that are essential to life, as the brain, heart, liver, lungs, and stomach.
-
the essential parts of something.
the vitals of a democracy.
Etymology
Origin of vitals
1600–10; translation of Latin vītālia; see vital
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For eight hours, her vitals would be monitored, and she’d be flanked by the two therapists.
From Slate • Jan. 30, 2026
In Northern California, Kaiser Permanente’s 21 hospitals use a system that analyzes all patients’ vitals and charts and scores them every hour to determine which patients are at highest risk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
Recent financial trends confirm healthy vitals, a stark contrast to what the stock price collapse might otherwise imply.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
He told his Instagram followers that after the line-up announcement last week, his problems had "manifested physically" for the first time and had caused "a spike in my vitals as an area of concern".
From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025
He wasn’t hit in his vitals, I reckon.
From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
