critical care

noun

1

: the monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients : intensive care

Critical care involves the use of life-sustaining, high-technology medicine catering to a patient population that extends to both extremes of age. In adult ICUs, the average age is increasing and is now commonly well over 60 years.

—Simon Finfer and Jean-Louis Vincent

2

: a designated area of a hospital providing critical care : intensive care unit

The death toll rose from six to at least 12, with scores of people needing hospital treatment and some in critical care.

—Heather Brooke

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

critical-care nursing

a critical-care bed

see also critical care unit

Examples of critical care in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The group also urges withdrawing life support in the critical care unit, not in an operating room, to help avoid public confusion about when death occurs and when organ groups step in, said association president Jeff Trageser. —ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026

Scheppelman, who lives in Bayfield, has worked in the healthcare field for 35 years and is a critical care nurse practitioner. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 24 Feb. 2026

The new center is designed to provide critical care for high-risk mothers and newborns where that infrastructure did not previously exist. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026

Other awards include 100 best rankings for critical care and pulmonary care, as well as a stroke care excellence award. —Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for critical care

• concessionaire
• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare

Kids Definition

critical care

noun

: intensive care