ambulance
Americannoun
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ambulances
plural
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a specially equipped motor vehicle, airplane, ship, etc., for carrying sick or injured people, usually to a hospital.
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(formerly) a field hospital.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ambulance
1800–10; < French, equivalent to ( hôpital ) ambul ( ant ) walking (hospital) + -ance -ance. See ambulant
Explanation
An ambulance is an emergency vehicle that transports people to the hospital in emergencies. If you see that someone's been injured in a car accident, it's a good idea to call an ambulance. People who are terribly sick, or who are unexpectedly hurt or injured, often need to get to a hospital quickly, and this is what an ambulance is for. As the patient is driven to a hospital, with the ambulance's lights flashing and siren sounding, he or she is often treated by an emergency medical technician. The word comes from the French phrase hôpital ambulant, or "walking hospital," from the Latin ambulare, "to walk."
Vocabulary lists containing ambulance
Walk the Walk: Amb
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English Words Derived from French, List 2
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National Nurses Week: Tasks and Equipment
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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.
See Examples For:
Earlier Pixel Watch versions could call an ambulance after detecting signs of cardiac trouble.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said it received a 999 call at about 19:28 BST and a rapid response paramedic and ambulance crew attended the scene.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
It comes as Union released testimonies from ambulance workers describing the difficult and "vile" conditions they have had to work in.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
"Police, fire, ambulance -- we're all taught: 'reassure people, keep them safe, and avoid panic, and you know, take charge'," Mullins said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
“The ambulance came, and so did Miz Rita,” I tell Mr. Shephard.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
And ambulances may not be able to reach them if the risks are high.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
One company even approached me about helping build an AI system to dispatch ambulances, which made me uncomfortable.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Some coffins were loaded into the back of ambulances to be transported to the home provinces of the deceased.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented incidents of autonomous vehicles driving into active emergency scenes and blocking the paths of ambulances and firefighters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
We passed two British ambulances, abandoned in the block of vehicles.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
