defibrillator

noun

de·​fi·​bril·​la·​tor (ˌ)dē-ˈfi-brə-ˌlā-tər 

: an electronic device that applies an electric shock to restore the rhythm of a fibrillating heart

defibrillate

(ˌ)dē-ˈfi-brə-ˌlāt 

transitive verb

defibrillation

(ˌ)dē-ˌfi-brə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

Examples of defibrillator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Former President Bill Clinton is facing questions about his health after he was spotted in the Hamptons with what appeared to be a portable defibrillator. —Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025

Public defibrillators are often locked away in buildings or overlooked in emergencies. —New Atlas, 28 Aug. 2025

Around the world, defibrillators, motorbikes, and water towers are being donated, sold, or simply abandoned. —Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2025

Black, who suffered from congestive heart failure, had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) that worked like a pacemaker to maintain his heart rhythm. —Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for defibrillator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• collaborator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator

Medical Definition

defibrillator

noun

de·​fi·​bril·​la·​tor (ˈ)dē-ˈfib-rə-ˌlāt-ər  -ˈfīb- 

: an electronic device used to defibrillate a heart by applying an electric shock to it