ambulatory

adjective am·bu·la·to·ry \ ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of ambulatory

1 a : able to walk about and not bedridden

ambulatory patients

b : performed on or involving an ambulatory patient or an outpatient

ambulatory medical care

an ambulatory electrocardiogram

2 : of, relating to, or adapted to walking

ambulatory exercise

; also : occurring during a walk

an ambulatory conversation

3 : moving from place to place : itinerant

for years led an ambulatory life

4 law : capable of being altered

a will is ambulatory until the testator's death

—

ambulatorily

play \ˌam-byə-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

See ambulatory defined for kids

Examples of ambulatory in a Sentence

ambulatory theatrical companies that brought live theater to small towns across America

Recent Examples of ambulatory from the Web

Chesapeake Urology has 25 medical offices and 17 ambulatory surgery centers throughout Maryland that employ 725 people, including 87 doctors.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Chesapeake Urology partners with Tennessee practice," 6 Apr. 2018
Veritas, which recently invested in Truven Health Analytics and Verscend Technologies, plans to buy GE Healthcare’s assets in ambulatory care management, enterprise financial management, and workforce management.

— richard clough, BostonGlobe.com, "GE pushes ahead on revamp with $1.05 billion sale of health IT businesses," 2 Apr. 2018
And ProHealth has partnered with physician practices to profit from the trend for more procedures to be done in ambulatory surgical centers.

— guy boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "ProHealth Care determined to remain independent amid consolidation trend in health care," 30 Mar. 2018
By educating people about what to look for in ambulatory surgery centers, the unfortunate tragedies recounted in your article may cease to exist.

— kaiser health news, Washington Post, "Readers Seek Transparency On Surgery Centers, ‘Bill Of The Month’ Investigations," 28 Mar. 2018
Providence is focused on improving its financial performance and increasing its investment in digital, retail and ambulatory health care, one of the people said.

— melanie evans, WSJ, "Hospital Giants Halt Merger Talks," 28 Mar. 2018
Qualifying as a hospital would allow Wills to get paid more by Medicare. Plus, its current status as an ambulatory surgery center prevents it from performing certain complex procedures at its Ninth and Walnut Street facility in Center City.

— harold brubaker, Philly.com, "Wills Eye appeals to Third Circuit," 19 Mar. 2018
Its current status as an ambulatory surgery center also prevents it from performing certain complex procedures at its Ninth and Walnut Street facility in Center City.

— harold brubaker, Philly.com, "Federal judge rules against Wills Eye in dispute over hospital status," 25 Jan. 2018
Graciela Zapata, ambulatory clinical area manager, said patients will be able to use iPads and digital apps to review immunizations and medications and have a say in their own health.

— vincent t. davis, San Antonio Express-News, "New health care center opens on East Side," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ambulatory.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ambulatory

see ambulate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

ambulatory Synonyms

Synonyms

ambulant, errant, fugitive, gallivanting (also galavanting), itinerant, nomad, nomadic, perambulatory, peregrine, peripatetic, ranging, roaming, roving, vagabond, vagrant, wandering, wayfaring;

Near Antonyms

immobile, nonmoving, settled, standing, static, stationary;

motionless, still;

sauntering, strolling, traipsing, walking;

migrant, migratory;

Phrases

on the move;

ambulatory

noun

Definition of ambulatory

plural ambulatories

: a sheltered place (as in a cloister or church) for walking

Recent Examples of ambulatory from the Web

In an ambulatory setting, the total cost of Essure procedures was found to be $1,287 per case and laparoscopic procedures $1,398 per case, according to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

— jacqueline howard, CNN, "Essure or surgery? New study compares contraceptive risks," 13 Mar. 2018
For example, Ohio could choose the ambulatory care standards from one benchmark plan and the preventive services from another.

— Washington Post, "The Health 202: The Trump administration is giving states another way around Obamacare regulations," 7 Feb. 2018
Gonnelli was the developer for LourdesCare at Cherry Hill, a 55,000 square-foot ambulatory care center.

— harold brubaker, Philly.com, "Lourdes owner files counterclaim against Cooper," 7 Feb. 2018
UnitedHealth has said Optum aims to provide primary care and ambulatory services in 75 markets, representing about two-thirds of the U.S. population.

— anna wilde mathews, WSJ, "UnitedHealth to Buy Large Doctor Group for $4.9 Billion," 6 Dec. 2017
Calpers changed its benefits five years ago to nudge patients toward the cheaper ambulatory option, a spokesman said, and will expand its plan to include a dozen more surgeries starting in January.

— melanie evans, WSJ, "Warding Off Decline, Hospitals Invest in Outpatient Clinics," 25 Sep. 2017
Boone defends his claims of fraud with a specific formula, dividing the number of ambulatory, handicapped adults in Connecticut by the state’s population.

— vinny vella, Courant Community, "Citing Fraud, Hartford Charges Handicapped Drivers To Park," 5 Sep. 2017
Optum’s growth was tied to its OptumRx pharmacy-benefit management unit and its OptumCare ambulatory-care business, among other factors.

— anna wilde mathews, WSJ, "UnitedHealth Sees Strong Growth Despite Exits From ACA Markets," 18 July 2017
UnitedHealth has said Optum, based in Eden Prairie, aims to provide primary care and ambulatory services in 75 markets, representing about two-thirds of the U.S. population.

— dow jones news service, Twin Cities, "UnitedHealth’s Optum to acquire Surgical Care Affiliates for $2.3 billion," 9 Jan. 2017

Origin and Etymology of ambulatory

see ambulate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1616

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

Medical Dictionary

ambulatory

adjective am·bu·la·to·ry \ ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr- \

medical Definition of ambulatory

1 : of, relating to, or adapted to walking

ambulatory exercise

2 a : able to walk about and not bedridden

an ambulatory patient

All patients were ambulatory before hip fracture.
—Karim Anton Calis and Frank Pucino, The New England Journal of Medicine, 1 Nov. 2007

b : performed on or involving a patient who is able to walk about

Some patients report that ambulatory oxygen therapy helps relieve exercise-related breathlessness.
—Dennis E. Niewoehner, The New England Journal of Medicine, 15 Apr. 2010

c : performed on or provided to an outpatient

ambulatory care

Ambulatory surgical procedures have proliferated in recent years as a result of increases in the cost of inpatient health services.
—Mark A. Warner et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association, 22 Sept. 1993

also : relating to or intended for outpatient care

ambulatory surgery centers

d : performed on or worn by a patient during the course of normal daily activities (such as working and sleeping)

Rather than treat all patients on the basis of office blood pressure readings, some clinicians … maintain that certain patients should first be fitted with ambulatory blood pressure monitors that automatically record their blood pressure every 15 minutes or so throughout the day and night.
—Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, 28 Nov. 1995

also : obtained by ambulatory monitoring