intensive care unit

American  

noun

1. the specialized center in a hospital where intensive care is provided. ICU

---

Etymology

Origin of intensive care unit

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

There are no beds in the paediatric intensive care unit, but the team get on the road anyway.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have called for a transparent investigation into the killing of Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse working at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

Salehuddin Ahmed, who holds the finance portfolio in the interim government, said the economy had shifted from the "intensive care unit to the high dependency unit".

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

For three months, she spent each day in the neonatal intensive care unit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

She was in the intensive care unit bandaging a patient when she was called to the phone.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times