NICU

American

[en-ahy-see-yoo, nik-yoo] / ˈɛnˈaɪˈsiˈyu, ˈnɪkˌyu /

noun

neonatal intensive care unit: a specialized center in a hospital where intensive care is provided for newborn infants who are premature or have health problems.

NICU British

abbreviation

neonatal intensive care unit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of NICU

First recorded in 1970–75

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.

He was back here as a chubby, chatty toddler, not the helpless baby in the NICU.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

And in the NICU, the sickest babies wouldn’t even be able to breastfeed safely unless they could measure the exact amount of milk they were consuming.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2025

Research has shown that added distance between a patient and obstetric care increases the likelihood the baby will be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2025

In recent years, more hospitals have trained volunteers to provide this service in the NICU, a nursery where specialists offer 24/7 care to at-risk newborns until their health stabilizes.

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2023

I sprint across the bridge into Building 2, dodging nurses and patients and doctors, and head through the double doors into the east entrance of the NICU.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023