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

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

The responding officers rendered first aid to the victims before they were taken to local hospitals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

“You know” — Lieutenant Carroll had spread all the extra first aid packs on the floor in front of him — “my brother went to theology school and I almost followed him.”

From "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers