hospitalize

verb

hos·​pi·​tal·​ize ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tə-ˌlīz 

hospitalized; hospitalizing

transitive verb

: to place in a hospital as a patient

hospitalization

ˌhä-(ˌ)spi-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of hospitalize in a Sentence

The doctor wants to hospitalize her for a few days so that he can run some tests.

Recent Examples on the Web

One pledge suffered severe kidney injuries and was hospitalized but was expected to recover, according to a source familiar with the investigation. — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026

The American College of Surgeons reported that over 20,000 people — many of them under the age of 14 — are injured riding e-bikes with 3,000 hospitalized annually, numbers that are not only growing but also likely under-reported. — Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 July 2026

A number of patients have such severe vomiting and diarrhea that they are hospitalized with dehydration. — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026

Six of those firefighters have been hospitalized, Marc Vermeulen, director of Gironde’s Fire and Rescue Service said. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

hospital + -ize

First Known Use

circa 1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hospitalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

hospitalize

verb

hos·​pi·​tal·​ize ˈhäs-ˌpit-ᵊl-ˌīz 

hospitalized; hospitalizing

: to place in a hospital as a patient

hospitalization

ˌhäs-ˌpit-ᵊl-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

hospitalize

transitive verb

hos·​pi·​tal·​ize

variants or chiefly British hospitalise

ˈhäs-(ˌ)pit-ᵊl-ˌīz  häs-ˈpit-ᵊl-ˌīz 

hospitalized or chiefly British hospitalised; hospitalizing or chiefly British hospitalising

: to place in a hospital as a patient

the child was hospitalized at once for diagnosis and treatment

—The Journal of the American Medical Association