CPR

American  

abbreviation

1. cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

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CPR British  

abbreviation

1. cardiopulmonary resuscitation

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CPR Scientific  

/ sē′pē-är′ /

1. Short for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An emergency procedure in which the heart and lungs are made to work by manually compressing the chest overlying the heart and forcing air into the lungs. CPR is used to maintain circulation when the heart stops pumping, usually because of disease, drugs, or trauma.

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Example Sentences

“She jumped into the middle of the bed and was doing CPR in the bed as it flew down the hallway,” Amanda Coulson said years later in court.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

The method gives the rescuer stability and a better position for good quality CPR by allowing the arms to be bent and compensating for reduced body weight in low gravity.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Once firefighters arrived and extracted the infant, they began performing CPR, but it looked like the baby was turning blue, she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

She was discovered in the bathroom of the apartment she was sharing with a friend, Caitlin Cash, who called 911, applied CPR and then was questioned extensively by Austin authorities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Back in the boat, I put Ben’s life jacket and his soaked parka to one side and picked up my Orioles hat from the floor, where I’d done the CPR on Ben.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings