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
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.
Paramedics from the Kern County Fire Department took over until an ambulance arrived, police said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
London's ambulance service callouts saw their "busiest day ever" as critical incidents rose, while "more than 1,2000 schools shut" amid the heatwave.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
Cabarza was transported by ambulance from this area, which authorities described as a "disaster zone."
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
Matthew Hopkins of the acute and ambulance network for the NHS alliance told the Today programme he expected demand on emergency services to increase over the next few days during the extremely hot weather period.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
I walk around the crowd to the other side, and see Benny and Brad sitting on the back of an ambulance.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
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.
