NICU

American

[en-ahy-see-yoo, nik-yoo] / ˈɛnˈaɪˈsiˈju, ˈnɪkˌju /

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.

See Examples For:

NICU

Working in a busy NICU, he loves how a cake can bring joy to the ward and has won over the nurses with his bakes.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

When it came time to give birth, the throuple had to get special dispensation to visit their daughter in the NICU.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

At St. David, Mr. Harris has helped relieve the anxiety of parents who cannot be present around the clock with their babies in the NICU.

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

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