ambulance

noun

am·​bu·​lance ˈam-byə-lən(t)s How to pronounce ambulance (audio)
-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 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 While the Goodyear Fire Department began its own ambulance program in March, the accident took place several weeks shy of the program going live. The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024 The series follows a disgraced minister who must balance addressing the crisis and caring for his son, while an ambulance nurse goes to great lengths to save her lover. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Detroit has enhanced ambulance services and response times. Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 As the old man is carried to the back of the ambulance, more screams come from the ring. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Additional staff would also enable the fire department to dispatch up to three ambulances at once and meet the growing need in Germantown for emergency medical services. Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 The Arizona Humane Society has ambulances that will go around the Valley and pick up animals that have been found by police or members of the public that do not have an owner. Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambulance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambulance was in 1825

Dictionary Entries Near ambulance

Cite this Entry

“Ambulance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambulance. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ambulance

noun
am·​bu·​lance ˈam-byə-lən(t)s How to pronounce ambulance (audio)
: 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

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