ambulance
Americannoun
-
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:
A surfer in his fifties was rushed to hospital on Monday after being bitten by a shark in Western Australia, the state government and local ambulance service said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Officials also changed how patients experiencing ectopic pregnancy symptoms are prioritized when they call for an ambulance, leading to faster response times.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The facility serves general aviation aircraft including private, corporate, charter, air ambulance, law enforcement, fire rescue, flight training and light cargo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
She finally settled on Systems Design, an ambulance billing company based in Poulsbo, Wash., nestled between Seattle and the Olympic Mountains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
At one point the streams that crossed Highway 3 became so swollen I worried they would engulf the ambulance.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Lih said inspiration for his design came from a sink plunger from Home Depot and suction devices in ambulances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The agency responded with an ambulance, a medic engine and two air ambulances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
It said that 20 ambulances were dispatched to the scene and those injured were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Helicopters and coastguard boats have been dispatched to the scene, while ambulances have been stationed on the beach.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Then the fire trucks come, along with the ambulances.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
