ambulance
Americannoun
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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
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.
When the girl asked O’Connor if she should call an ambulance, the woman told her no, District Attorney Investigator Christina Hanks wrote in a declaration filed in court.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
The Zurich cantonal police force said it was cooperating with Winterthur municipal police, the Swiss Federal Railways' transport police, and hospital, ambulance and rescue services in the operation.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
My partner recently had the same series of illnesses and we rushed to the hospital in an ambulance; a few hours difference and his outcome might have been as dire.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
The hospital would not authorize a transfer or arrange to send her in an ambulance, and it offered no explanation for why.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
No one was hurt—that’s not why the ambulance was coming.
From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings
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.
