EMS

American  

abbreviation

1. emergency medical service.

2. Digital Technology. enhanced message service: a system for sending long or formatted text messages, images, music, etc., from one cell phone to another.

3. European Monetary System.

4. express mail service: an international service offered by the postal operators of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

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EMS ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. European Monetary System

2. enhanced messaging service: a system used for sending text messages containing special text formatting, animations, etc, to and from mobile phones

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Ems ² British  

/ ɛmz /

noun

1. a town in W Germany, in the Rhineland-Palatinate: famous for the Ems Telegram (1870), Bismarck's dispatch that led to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. Pop: 9666 (2003 est)

2. a river in W Germany, rising in the Teutoburger Wald and flowing generally north to the North Sea. Length: about 370 km (230 miles)

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Example Sentences

The technology is gaining popularity in the U.S. as a potential way to boost workouts, though critics say the marketing of EMS is often hyperbolic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The tech is not a replacement for traditional exercise, he said, though he cited research that shows EMS may offer “modest to moderate improvements in muscle strength,” especially when combined with movement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

That can lead to rhabdomyolysis, a severe muscle breakdown caused by overexertion that can result in kidney failure, said Francisco J. Amaro Gahete, a leading researcher focused on whole-body EMS.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Next up: electrical muscle stimulation, or EMS, where people wear damp suits covered with electrodes that zap their major muscle groups simultaneously for about 20 minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

The EMS tech slammed the door and turned to Rain.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman