ambulance

noun

am·​bu·​lance ˈam-byə-lən(t)s 

-bə-,

 also  -ˌlan(t)s

: a vehicle equipped for transporting the injured or sick

Examples of ambulance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jones rushed to the aid of Justin’s friend and took him to an ambulance, according to the lawsuit. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024

Medics from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arrived, provided medical aid at the scene and took her to the ambulance. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024

Patterson saw two bloody young teenagers and a middle aged woman with a wound to her neck taken by stretcher to ambulances. —Jeff Kolkey, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

Multiple ambulances and rescue helicopters arrived to the scene, the emergency services told news site Index.hu. —Reuters, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024

In addition to the two people killed, four patients were airlifted to area hospitals with critical injuries, and six more were taken to hospitals by ground ambulance, Parker disclosed. —Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024

The boy requested an ambulance for a gunshot wound to his leg, the report said. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2024

Situation said to have been caused by a power outage at data center of Epic, an electronic health records company Several San Diego-area hospitals were caught up in a computer outage early Wednesday evening that forced some facilities to briefly divert ambulance deliveries. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024

Several vehicles, including at least two ambulances visible in the earlier footage, appear to have been destroyed, mashed together in a heap of soil, cars and pavement. —Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "mobile medical facility following troops in the field, corps of surgeons and assistants caring for wounded soldiers in the field," borrowed from French, from ambulant "mobile, itinerant" (borrowed from Latin ambulant-, ambulans, present participle of ambulāre "to go on foot, travel") + -ance -ance — more at amble entry 1

Note: As a name for a vehicle, in part short for ambulance wag(g)on and other collocations, probably after French wagon-ambulance, voiture d'ambulance, etc.

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ambulance

• ambulance chaser
• by ambulance

Kids Definition

ambulance

noun

am·​bu·​lance ˈam-byə-lən(t)s 

: a vehicle that is equipped for transporting the injured or the sick

Etymology

from French ambulance "field hospital," from (hôpital) ambulant, literally "traveling hospital," derived from Latin ambulare "to walk" — related to amble

Word Origin

When the term ambulance first came into use, it did not refer to a vehicle. To meet the urgent needs of the wounded during war, the French about 200 years ago set up temporary movable hospitals close to the battlefields. They called such a hospital hôpital ambulant, meaning literally "walking hospital." The French adjective ambulant can be traced back to the Latin verb ambulare, meaning "to walk." In time the French dropped the word hôpital from the phrase and changed the adjective to the noun ambulance. This word was also later applied to the wagon used for transporting the wounded to the field hospital. Before long, the word ambulance came to be used for civilian temporary hospitals set up during emergencies and also for the vehicles used to take the sick and injured to the hospital. English borrowed the word from French to refer to such vehicles.

Medical Definition

ambulance

noun

am·​bu·​lance

ˈam-b(y)ə-lən(t)s also -ˌlan(t)s

: a vehicle equipped for transporting the injured or sick