intensive care unit

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of intensive care unit

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The woman was 7 months pregnant with the family’s third child, a girl, who died in a neonatal intensive care unit.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 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

Pretti, who worked in the VA’s intensive care unit, had been carrying a legally permitted 9mm handgun when he was killed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

The intensive care unit is L-shaped and dim, a jumble of bleeping monitors and whirring machines.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini