first aid

American  

noun

1. emergency aid or treatment given to someone injured, suddenly ill, etc., before regular medical services arrive or can be reached.

---

first aid British  

noun

1. 1. immediate medical assistance given in an emergency

   2. ( as modifier )

      first-aid box

2. (in Barbados) a small shop that sells domestic items after hours

---

Other Word Forms

• first-aider
  noun
• first-aid
  adjective

---

Etymology

Origin of first aid

First recorded in 1880–85

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first aid

She mainly shops at Boots for skincare, first aid and medicine, but thinks prices for its sanitary products are "ridiculously expensive" - something her friend Yasmin agrees with.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

He said officers immediately commenced first aid on the woman and girl.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Adrienne cuts her leg on a rock, but Sara tends to it immediately with her handy dandy first aid kit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

A bystander begged to help Good, to check her pulse and perform first aid.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

A knife, rope, PowerBars, water bottle, compass, first aid kit, a topographical map, my sketchpad, a hardcover novel, and a book Leo gave me on topography.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---