clinic

American  

[klin-ik] / ˈklɪn ɪk /

noun

1. a place, as in connection with a medical school or a hospital, for the treatment of nonresident patients, sometimes at low cost or without charge.

2. a group of physicians, dentists, or the like, working in cooperation and sharing the same facilities.

3. a class or group convening for instruction or remedial work or for the diagnosis and treatment of specific problems.

   a reading clinic; a speech clinic; a summer baseball clinic for promising young players.

4. the instruction of medical students by examining or treating patients in their presence or by their examining or treating patients under supervision.

5. a class of students assembled for such instruction.

6. Sports Slang. a performance so thoroughly superior by a team or player as to be a virtual model or demonstration of excellence; rout or mismatch.

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adjective

1. of a clinic; clinical.

clinic British  

/ ˈklɪnɪk /

noun

1. a place in which outpatients are given medical treatment or advice, often connected to a hospital

2. a similar place staffed by physicians or surgeons specializing in one or more specific areas

   eye clinic

3. a private hospital or nursing home

4. obsolete the teaching of medicine to students at the bedside

5. a place in which medical lectures are given

6. a clinical lecture

7. a group or centre that offers advice or instruction

   a vocational clinic

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Etymology

Origin of clinic

1620–30; 1885–90 clinic for def. 1; < Latin clīnicus < Greek klīnikós pertaining to a (sick) bed, equivalent to klī́n ( ē ) bed + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

Chung runs an academic optometry clinic that works with local schools in Pomona.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

The complaint also states that during the 2024 offseason, DeLorenzo was “forced” to take part in “a low-level college clinic, involving different rules, different mechanics, and different philosophies as compared to the NFL.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The patient coordinator there at the time, Julie Hodson, told them the clinic could import frozen sperm from the world's largest sperm bank, Cryos International, in Denmark.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Dogus clinic, which Firdevs says was responsible for Beth and Laura's treatment, has not responded to our request for comment.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

In collaboration with the Peruvian Ministry of Health, Socios also started an MDR clinic in Arequipa, the country’s second-most-populous city.

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

Related Words

• hospital