intensive care

American  

noun

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

---

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

---

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

Lauren Bruce from Blairgowrie is one of those who fears any reduction in local intensive care provision will be unsafe because of existing capacity issues across Scotland.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

"I was evidently still alive and taken off to hospital where I was in intensive care for a little while. But actually I managed to get out of hospital in time for Bonfire night."

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

The nurses in the intensive care unit couldn’t believe their eyes.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston