defibrillator
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of defibrillator
First recorded in 1955–60; de- + fibrill(ation) + -ator
Explanation
A defibrillator is a machine that uses a current of electricity to restart a heart that is beating erratically. Doctors and EMTs use a defibrillator when they perform CPR on a patient. Defibrillator comes from defibrillation, literally "stopping fibrillation," or "stopping the heart from beating in an irregular way." The first defibrillators were demonstrated on dogs in 1899, but it wasn't until the 1950s that this method was used externally on humans, rather than during surgery. Even though movies often show doctors starting a stopped heart with a defibrillator, this isn't actually possible. What defibrillators do is closer to stopping an irregular heartbeat and shocking it into a normal rhythm.
Vocabulary lists containing defibrillator
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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.
See Examples For:
The morning’s jolt of excitement hit “The Pitt” team with the strength of a defibrillator to the chest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
She had no pulse for a brief period, according to media outlets, but it was restored with CPR and an automated external defibrillator at the track.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
"There was no defibrillator, no oxygen, nothing. In the room, there was nothing to suggest that the patient was in hospital at home," Pinto said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
The board said there was no defibrillator or oxygen tank in case of an emergency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Joe, the maintenance man, uses a defibrillator on me because the electricity from the lightning stopped my heart.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
The sleek, futuristic-looking, white and yellow vehicle boasts solar panels on the roof that power its engine but also medical devices from x-ray machines to defibrillators.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Charles founded the nonprofit in 2013 in honor of her late aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and provide automated external defibrillators to schools and recreation centers that need them.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
"It helps me manage that patient better, know who's at greatest risk, and if we think the risk is really high, we'll recommend defibrillators for patients like that," McNally said.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025
There are thousands of community defibrillators across Northern Ireland in places like schools, sports centres and shops.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
Kevin's club had defibrillators at the ground as a result of a high-profile campaign following the death of Tyrone GAA star Cormac McAnallen, who died of a hidden heart condition in 2004.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
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.
