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

That same day, the Illinois Department of Public Health instructed ambulances to stop taking patients to the hospital. — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

Other students sprang into action, calling 911, coordinating with emergency responders and helping guide the ambulance crew into the school. — Robbie Owens, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026

The 123-year-old carmaker on Saturday will allow select members of the public and employees into the Ford Vault to take a gander at everything from rare concept cars and Hollywood Mustangs to historic police cruisers and even a 1938 ambulance. — ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026

An ambulance rushed into the parking lot, and two bewildered young paramedics ran to the boat. — Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2026

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