emergency
- a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action.
- a state, especially of need for help or relief, created by some unexpected event: a weather emergency; a financial emergency.
- granted, used, or for use in an emergency: an emergency leave; emergency lights.
Origin of emergency
Synonyms for emergency
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comRelated Words for emergency
difficulty, crunch, accident, necessity, tension, distress, misadventure, climax, strait, juncture, pass, plight, depression, fix, scrape, vicissitude, compulsion, exigency, pressure, holeExamples from the Web for emergency
Contemporary Examples of emergency
During an emergency that ratio could be allowed to drop to 8.5 people per orbit.
One specific kind of emergency is at the heart of this, such as when an airplane suffers a loss of stability at night.
Had they been properly trained, they could and should have flown themselves safely out of the emergency.
This suggests that the pilots were overtaken very rapidly by an emergency.
A click sends a user to a statement, a list of passenger nationalities, emergency call-center numbers, and other information.
Historical Examples of emergency
As far as we can learn there never was an emergency yet which the life-principle was not equipped to meet.
The Conquest of FearBasil King
Did she have a heart, then, or was it a feminine trait to turn pale in every emergency?
Chip, of the Flying UB. M. Bower
O'Mooney's presence of mind did not forsake him upon this emergency.
Tales And Novels, Volume 4 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
He had not now the advantage of Russell's firmness to support him in this emergency.
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
She sighed, put it back on the counter, and rose to the emergency.
The Fortune HunterLouis Joseph Vance
emergency
- an unforeseen or sudden occurrence, esp of a danger demanding immediate remedy or action
- (as modifier)an emergency exit
- a patient requiring urgent treatment
- (as modifier)an emergency ward
- state of emergency a condition, declared by a government, in which martial law applies, usually because of civil unrest or natural disaster
- NZ a player selected to stand by to replace an injured member of a team; reserve
Word Origin and History for emergency
"unforeseen occurrence requiring immediate attention," 1630s, from Latin emergens, present participle of emergere (see emerge). Or from emerge + -ency.