ambulance

American  

[am-byuh-luhns] / ˈæm bjə ləns /

noun

• ambulances
  plural

1. a specially equipped motor vehicle, airplane, ship, etc., for carrying sick or injured people, usually to a hospital.

2. (formerly) a field hospital.

---

ambulance British  

/ ˈæmbjʊləns /

noun

1. a motor vehicle designed to carry sick or injured people

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ambulances
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ambulance ambulances

Hundreds of messages were sent across 10 days on the pager network by ambulance trusts, hospitals and fire services.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Metropolitan Police were called to an address in south London on Friday afternoon by the ambulance service where they found a 41-year-old man dead at the scene, according to the BBC.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The ambulance service in the West Midlands region, including Stourbridge and Staffordshire, said it had treated 68 people Thursday with symptoms such as smoke inhalation, 25 of whom were hospitalised.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Late on Tuesday, a Palestinian ambulance was finally allowed to reach the families, delivering food and taking one child away for medical treatment.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Ti Fifi got on the phone and hired a private ambulance company in Port-au-Prince—Sam’s Service Ambulance—which owned a shiny old recycled ambulance from the 1970s.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Fire engines, ambulances and police were stationed on Landport Road, in Lewes, alongside a double decker bus by the community hub waiting for passengers to board.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

One company even approached me about helping build an AI system to dispatch ambulances, which made me uncomfortable.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Unison said its members had reported being sent out in ambulances in stifling heat with faulty or no air conditioning, and often with limited access to drinking water or toilet facilities.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Some coffins were loaded into the back of ambulances to be transported to the home provinces of the deceased.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Police cars and ambulances filled the street, their angry red lights pulsating against the brick buildings.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older