ambulatory

[ am-byuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

/ ˈæm byə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

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See synonyms for ambulatory on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, relating to, or capable of walking: an ambulatory exploration of the countryside.

adapted for walking, as the limbs of many animals.

moving about or from place to place; not stationary: an ambulatory tribe.

Also ambulant. Medicine/Medical.

not confined to bed; able or strong enough to walk: an ambulatory patient.
serving patients who are able to walk: an ambulatory care center.

Law. not fixed; alterable or revocable: ambulatory will.

noun, plural am·bu·la·to·ries.

Also called deambulatory. Architecture.

an aisle surrounding the end of the choir or chancel of a church.
the covered walk of a cloister.

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Origin of ambulatory

1615–25; <Latin ambulātōrius, equivalent to ambulā-, stem of ambulāre (see amble) + -tōrius -tory¹

OTHER WORDS FROM ambulatory

am·bu·la·to·ri·ly, adverbnon·am·bu·la·to·ry, adjective, noun, plural non·am·bu·la·to·ries.

Words nearby ambulatory

ambulance stocks, ambulant, ambulante, ambulate, ambulation, ambulatory, ambulatory care, ambulatory surgery, ambulette, ambuscade, ambuscado

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ambulatory in a sentence

That feeling passed and the child grew into an ambulatory creature whose artifacts Irvin used to print cyanotypes.
In the galleries: Celebrating the art of the game with unexpected delights|Mark Jenkins|July 2, 2021|Washington Post
A procedure after 16 weeks must be done at a hospital or ambulatory surgical center.
Texas governor signs abortion bill banning procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy|Timothy Bella|May 20, 2021|Washington Post
This kind of self-balancing is something that humans do unconsciously and continuously but it must be built and programmed in to an ambulatory robot.
Disney Imagineering’s Project Kiwi is a free-walking robot that will make you believe in Groot|Matthew Panzarino|April 23, 2021|TechCrunch
Now, they hope to take more serious cases, including older, less ambulatory people.
Inside a Rhode Island field hospital, preparing for the worst of the pandemic|Lenny Bernstein|December 26, 2020|Washington Post

“Our algorithm, that the ethicists, infectious disease experts worked on for weeks … clearly didn’t work right,” Tim Morrison, the director of the ambulatory care team, told residents at the event in a video posted online.
This is the Stanford vaccine algorithm that left out frontline doctors|Eileen Guo|December 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The majority of the school-aged students are nonverbal and not fully ambulatory.
Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled|Elizabeth Picciuto|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The firefighters did not want the ambulatory passengers to chance onto an electrified rail or encounter some other hazard.
Amazing Grace in the Bronx: Inside the Metro-North Train-Wreck Rescue|Michael Daly|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Already the clinic will incur extra cost to gain an ambulatory-surgery-facility license.
In Wichita, the Ground Zero of the Abortion War, a New Clinic Rises|Allison Yarrow|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Piscitelli found out just how bad it had been when he counted the number of ambulatory survivors who came back with the dawn.
On Memorial Day, Remembering 15-Year-Old Marine PFC Dan Bullock|Michael Daly|May 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If it's dead, it's undead, like the culture at large: ambulatory in the age of Twilight.
Must-Read Books by Will Hermes, Lydia Millet, and Stuart Nadler|Nicholas Mancusi, Drew Toal, John Reed|November 28, 2011|DAILY BEAST
This was entered by two arches, which may still be seen leading out of the ambulatory.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins
Further to the east, as we shall find in due course, may be seen the low vaulted retro-choir or ambulatory of one bay.
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey|Thomas Perkins
The four embryonic post-ambulatory appendages are now at the height of their development.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
The full number of joints are not at once reached, but in the ambulatory appendages five only appear at first to be formed.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1|Francis Maitland Balfour
All the ambulatory feet and the very small left hand fold beneath, leaving only the flat surface of one hand exposed to view.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for ambulatory

ambulatory

/ (ˈæmbjʊlətərɪ) /

adjective

of, relating to, or designed for walking

changing position; not fixed

Also: ambulant able to walk

law (esp of a will) capable of being altered or revoked

noun plural -ries

architect

an aisle running around the east end of a church, esp one that passes behind the sanctuary
a place for walking, such as an aisle or a cloister

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for ambulatory

ambulatory

[ ăm′byə-lə-tôr′ē ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or adapted for walking.

Capable of walking; not bedridden.

Moving about.

Of or relating to medical care or services provided on an outpatient basis.

ambulatory

Origin of ambulatory

OTHER WORDS FROM ambulatory

Words nearby ambulatory

Words related to ambulatory

How to use ambulatory in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ambulatory

Medical definitions for ambulatory