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.
When asked why, she claimed it reminded her of being a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit and touching her parents’ hands through the small opening in her incubator.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
After James was born, he spent four days in the neonatal intensive care unit, where he had to be tube-fed, and was put on a machine to help his breathing.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
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
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
The intensive care unit is this place where there are so many nurses, you can't hardly turn around without bumping into one, which I do as soon as we get there.
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
