ambulatory

1 of 2

adjective

am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

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

ˌam-byə-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē 

adverb

ambulatory

2 of 2

noun

plural ambulatories

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• nomadic
• nomad
• ambulant

Examples of ambulatory in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In an appeal, his attorney said he was also diagnosed with a chronic ambulatory psychotic disturbance with schizophrenia, paranoia and mania from previous brain injuries that he self-medicated with alcohol and drugs. —David Ferrara, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

Meanwhile, 90-day emergency department visit rates were also lower for ambulatory care patients than hospital patients—8.9 percent versus 12.7 percent. —Newsweek Rankings, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

Noun

Strength goes hand in hand with BMI, because the key to remaining ambulatory is a high strength-to-weight ratio. —Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2022

When companies join forces across the continuum of care—from acute to ambulatory and post-acute—capabilities are strengthened, and care teams have access to insights at every stage of a patient’s healthcare journey. —Dave Wessinger, Forbes, 1 July 2022

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French ambulatoire "movable, without fixed residence," borrowed from Latin ambulātōrius "movable, transferable, suitable for walking," from ambulāre "to go by foot, walk for pleasure or health, travel" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor; (sense 1b) after German ambulatorisch — more at amble entry 1

Noun

earlier ameltori, amlatorye, borrowed from Medieval Latin ambulātōrium, noun derivative from neuter of Latin ambulātōrius "movable, suitable for walking" — more at ambulatory entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ambulatory

• accusatory
• admonitory
• amendatory
• celebratory
• circulatory
• combinatory
• commendatory
• compensatory
• condemnatory
• confirmatory
• confiscatory
• consolatory

Kids Definition

ambulatory

adjective

am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry

ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē,

-ˌtȯr-

1

: of or relating to walking

2

: able to walk about

Medical Definition

ambulatory

adjective

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

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

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

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

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

also : obtained by ambulatory monitoring

24-hour ambulatory blood pressure

ambulatorily

ˌam-byə-lə-ˈtōr-ə-lē, -ˈtȯr- 

adverb

a patient treated ambulatorily

Legal Definition

ambulatory

adjective

am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē 

: capable of being altered

a will is ambulatory until the testator's death

Etymology

Adjective

Latin ambulatorius, literally, movable, transferable, from ambulare to walk, move, be transferred