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.

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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

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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

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

Able to give out his address, officers who were first on the scene climbed over the back gate and started giving Stacey first aid, with paramedics arriving soon after.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

After hearing about the quakes, they met in Miami, collecting first aid kits and rescue equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

De la O dropped his radio and pulled off his first aid pack.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge