gurney

American  

[gur-nee] / ˈgɜr ni /

noun

plural

gurneys

1. a flat, padded table or stretcher with legs and wheels, for transporting patients or bodies.

---

Gurney ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɜːnɪ /

noun

1. Ivor ( Bertie ). 1890–1937, British poet and composer, noted esp for his songs and his poems of World War I

---

gurney ² British  

/ ˈɡɜːnɪ /

noun

1. a wheeled stretcher for transporting hospital patients

---

Etymology

Origin of gurney

First recorded in 1935–40; of uncertain origin; perhaps after J. Theodore Gurney, American inventor, who invented a two-wheeled horse-drawn cab in 1883

Explanation

A gurney is a device used to move a patient who can't easily walk and needs to lie flat. Unlike a stretcher, a gurney has wheels so that it doesn't need to be carried. When an EMT transports a patient from an ambulance into a hospital emergency room, she uses a gurney. Patients with back injuries often require a gurney so that they can be moved safely, and you might find yourself on a gurney if you need any kind of surgery that calls for general anesthesia. When this word first appeared in the 1920s, it referred to hospital carts used to transport food and laundry.

Example Sentences

Kahlo depicts two sides of herself in the masterpiece—one lying bloody on a gurney after a surgery and the other sitting up, triumphant in a red, traditional dress.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

It’s said that he was dictating more criticism on the gurney that carried him to his final operation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

His phone rings during a moment of silence for a deceased patient and he injures his finger moving a patient off a gurney.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

The footage shared online showed the footballer being walked to an ambulance by paramedics and sitting on a gurney as he held a shirt to his chest.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2024

I slump back down onto the gurney and close my eyes.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• rickshaw
• truck
• wagon