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

Steven Tafoya, a critical care paramedic, explained to WDSU that emergency teams are trained on how to respond to unexpected accidents like this. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

If the plan gains regulatory approval from the state, the units would be merged as of March 2026 and the current Tower 8 burn unit would transition to serve critical care patients. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025

Protections also exist for customers serving in the military, with medical emergencies or in critical care. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 14 Nov. 2025

More than 300 hospitals are now at risk of closure, threatening access to critical care. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 3 Nov. 2025

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