intensive care

American  

noun

1. the use of specialized equipment and personnel for continuous monitoring and care of the critically ill.

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intensive care British  

noun

1. extensive and continuous care and treatment provided for an acutely ill patient, usually in a specially designated section ( intensive care unit ) of a hospital

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Etymology

Origin of intensive care

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

intensive care

Emergency responders took the baby to Woodland Memorial Hospital, then to a Sacramento County neonatal intensive care unit, the Sheriff’s Office said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

When he finally woke up, in an intensive care unit in Oklahoma City, about 90 miles northeast of Comanche, he learned that surgeons had removed 13 inches of his small intestine during emergency surgery.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

She spent six weeks in the neonatal unit at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, which is where one of the proposed neonatal intensive care units would be located.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

At the end of July, he fainted during a court hearing and was treated in intensive care.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

It has been a difficult month: a rotation in neonatal intensive care.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver