gurney

noun

gur·​ney ˈgər-nē How to pronounce gurney (audio)
plural gurneys
: a wheeled cot or stretcher

Examples of gurney in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 2015, he was even held in a cell next to Oklahoma’s execution chamber, waiting to be strapped to a gurney and die by lethal injection. ABC News, 23 June 2026 One of the women pushes a wide gurney against one wall and steps back, the video shows. Penny Weaver, Arkansas Online, 15 June 2026 The method of nitrogen hypoxia requires prisoners to breathe in the gas through an industrial-grade mask while strapped to a gurney and being deprived of oxygen. Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 12 June 2026 Under the method, executioners strap an inmate to a gurney with chest and shoulder harnesses and attach a mask to his face. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for gurney

Word History

Etymology

probably ultimately from Gurney cab type of horse-drawn cab with a rear entrance, from J. Theodore Gurney, who patented such a cab in Boston in 1883

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gurney was in 1939

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gurney.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gurney. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.

Medical Definition

gurney

noun
gur·​ney ˈgər-nē How to pronounce gurney (audio)
plural gurneys
: a wheeled cot or stretcher
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster