paramedic
1 Americannoun
noun
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Military. a medic in the paratroops.
-
a doctor who parachutes into remote areas to give medical care.
adjective
noun
-
a person, such as a laboratory technician, who supplements the work of the medical profession
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a member of an ambulance crew trained in a number of life-saving skills, including infusion and cardiac care
adjective
Etymology
Origin of paramedic1
An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; para- 1 + medic 1
Origin of paramedic2
Explanation
A paramedic is someone trained to assist medical professionals. The workers in an ambulance are paramedics. Just as a paralegal works with the law but isn't a lawyer, a paramedic is involved with medicine while not quite being a nurse or doctor. Rather, paramedics help doctors and nurses: paramedics are assistants. Paramedics are most well-known for working in ambulances. If you have a medical emergency — such as choking or a heart attack — paramedics will be there to help if you call 911. Paramedics save many lives every day.
Vocabulary lists containing paramedic
Red Kayak
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"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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Forged by Fire
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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.
“A paramedic can get anywhere, and I sucked up to the nurses.”
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Two ambulance workers and a student paramedic were injured.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Andres Hurtado, a paramedic who was standing close to the scene when the crash occurred, said he treated three people who were badly injured, including a girl.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
She said there was evidence from one paramedic that they had to climb over the barriers "because nobody could show them on to the ice".
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
He carries a huge plastic paramedic pack and a giant gunlike thing that we always pretended was some kind of vaccine syringe.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
