hospital
Americannoun
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hospitals
plural
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an institution in which sick or injured people are given medical or surgical treatment.
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a similar establishment for the care of animals.
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a repair shop for specific portable objects: doll hospital.
violin hospital;
doll hospital.
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British. an institution supported by charity or taxes for people in need of care, as a children's home or nursing home.
noun
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an institution for the medical, surgical, obstetric, or psychiatric care and treatment of patients
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(modifier) having the function of a hospital
a hospital ship
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a repair shop for something specified
a dolls' hospital
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archaic a charitable home, hospice, or school
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hospital
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (h)ospital, “lodging for pilgrims and travelers, hostel,” Old French (h)ospital, from Medieval Latin hospitāle “guesthouse, inn,” noun use of neuter of Latin hospitālis “hospitable,” equivalent to hospit- stem of hospes “guest, visitor, host” + -ālis -al 1 ( def. ); see also hospitium
Explanation
A hospital is the place to go when you're very sick or injured in a way that requires immediate treatment. If you trip over your shoelaces and break your arm, you'll need to go to the hospital. People having surgery or delivering a baby usually go to a hospital, and if you suspect you have food poisoning, you might visit the emergency room of a hospital. Hospitals are staffed by doctors and nurses, as well as office workers, cleaners, and aides of various kinds. The earliest hospitals were shelters or needy people, or hostels for travelers, and the word comes from the Late Latin hospitale, "guest house or inn."
Vocabulary lists containing hospital
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.
See Examples For:
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Reports in some media had claimed Eleanor had crashed her car while driving herself to hospital.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Will you drive her to hospital appointments and spend hours a day with her, making sure that she takes her medication and pays her bills, and has enough to eat?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Marie-Therese Tsesi, a 63-year-old nurse, has taken in five Ebola orphans at her modest mud-brick home near Mongbwalu hospital.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Pickwick said that the German doctor in charge of the prison hospital was a humane man who occasionally arranged a medical discharge.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
A common defense of this system is that additional Medicaid money enables hospitals to charge privately insured patients less.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Researchers reckoned that 25% of the money paid to U.S. hospitals is blown on administrative costs.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Little wonder that hospitals sometimes lobby to be taxed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
While it's a long way from being suitable for use in hospitals, the researchers say their goal is to help doctors recommend the right treatments for their patients.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Sometimes this comparison was made with regard to the conditions, where hospitals were not open or working, where clean water and other basic services weren’t available.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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