hospital
Americannoun
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hospitals
plural
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an institution in which sick or injured people are given medical or surgical treatment.
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a similar establishment for the care of animals.
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a repair shop for specific portable objects: doll hospital.
violin hospital;
doll hospital.
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British. an institution supported by charity or taxes for people in need of care, as a children's home or nursing home.
noun
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an institution for the medical, surgical, obstetric, or psychiatric care and treatment of patients
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(modifier) having the function of a hospital
a hospital ship
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a repair shop for something specified
a dolls' hospital
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archaic a charitable home, hospice, or school
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hospital
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (h)ospital, “lodging for pilgrims and travelers, hostel,” Old French (h)ospital, from Medieval Latin hospitāle “guesthouse, inn,” noun use of neuter of Latin hospitālis “hospitable,” equivalent to hospit- stem of hospes “guest, visitor, host” + -ālis -al 1 ( def. ); see also hospitium
Explanation
A hospital is the place to go when you're very sick or injured in a way that requires immediate treatment. If you trip over your shoelaces and break your arm, you'll need to go to the hospital. People having surgery or delivering a baby usually go to a hospital, and if you suspect you have food poisoning, you might visit the emergency room of a hospital. Hospitals are staffed by doctors and nurses, as well as office workers, cleaners, and aides of various kinds. The earliest hospitals were shelters or needy people, or hostels for travelers, and the word comes from the Late Latin hospitale, "guest house or inn."
Vocabulary lists containing hospital
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the city statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
If Clancy is found not guilty by reason of insanity, then she will not be set free, but instead sent to a psychiatric hospital, where she possibly could remain for life.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
My mom wouldn’t make it out of the hospital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The Bir hospital said it would treat all victims for free and was "fully prepared" to handle the surge in patients, local media reported.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
I hobbled behind the guard into the administration barracks at the opposite end of the Lagerstrasse from the hospital.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
She said her husband sought treatment at several hospitals and his condition was “repeatedly” misdiagnosed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
As rescue teams scoured for survivors in the flood-ravaged districts, families moved between hospitals and police helpdesks, desperately hoping for word on those missing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Gates stressed the risk of cyberattacks on the grid, hospitals and banks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
He cited the need to protect babies from being stolen, something that has happened before at government hospitals.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
There were only two small hospitals in Seosan, his father’s and one on the other side of town, near the ocean.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
