intensive care unit
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of intensive care unit
First recorded in 1960–65
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.
The door to the neonatal intensive care unit was locked, according to Jaweria, a woman who said she lost her infant in the blaze.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
For the entirety of his short life at the neonatal intensive care unit, he had the cannula through his nose to facilitate his breathing and a feeding tube between his lips.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
As of Wednesday evening, 22 people who were sick had gone to the hospital, some of whom were in the intensive care unit, health officials have said.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The experience put him in the intensive care unit for nine days, after which he was discharged to a rehabilitation facility.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
She has worked high-stress assignments in telemetry— monitoring cardiac patients—and in the intensive care unit.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
![]()
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.