ambulance
Americannoun
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ambulances
plural
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a specially equipped motor vehicle, airplane, ship, etc., for carrying sick or injured people, usually to a hospital.
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(formerly) a field hospital.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ambulance
1800–10; < French, equivalent to ( hôpital ) ambul ( ant ) walking (hospital) + -ance -ance. See ambulant
Explanation
An ambulance is an emergency vehicle that transports people to the hospital in emergencies. If you see that someone's been injured in a car accident, it's a good idea to call an ambulance. People who are terribly sick, or who are unexpectedly hurt or injured, often need to get to a hospital quickly, and this is what an ambulance is for. As the patient is driven to a hospital, with the ambulance's lights flashing and siren sounding, he or she is often treated by an emergency medical technician. The word comes from the French phrase hôpital ambulant, or "walking hospital," from the Latin ambulare, "to walk."
Vocabulary lists containing ambulance
Walk the Walk: Amb
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English Words Derived from French, List 2
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National Nurses Week: Tasks and Equipment
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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.
See Examples For:
He then walked unaided into an ambulance to mark the first time he has abandoned a Grand Tour.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
"He's just been badly let down. Not just because of the ambulance, but because of the treatment at A&E as well. He should still be here."
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Five people were treated for injuries, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said, with AFP journalists reporting seeing at least one Israeli activist taken in a Palestinian ambulance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
According to OnScene.TV, a man was transported to the hospital by an ambulance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
An old shoe was lying on the asphalt in front of the loading dock, where the ambulance had been only minutes before.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Helicopters and coastguard boats have been dispatched to the scene, while ambulances have been stationed on the beach.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
A driving instructor died of a cardiac arrest after his wife had to take him to hospital in rush hour traffic because no ambulances were available.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Images on public broadcaster SVT on Friday showed multiple ambulances and police cars parked outside the school as well as a police helicopter.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
One company even approached me about helping build an AI system to dispatch ambulances, which made me uncomfortable.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Surely there would be ambulances coming up from the defense perimeter, making regular runs to the beach.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
