first aid

noun

: emergency care or treatment given to an ill or injured person before regular medical aid can be obtained

Examples of first aid in a Sentence

She gave him first aid for his sprained ankle.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Put together a basic emergency kit, with water and shelf stable foods for up to a week, flash lights, back up batteries, a first aid kit and moist towelettes. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 27 May 2025 Your mental health first aid kit has to contain at least one person. Lidija Globokar, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 Officers performed first aid and CPR until paramedics arrived and transported Hoth to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room. Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2025 That study found that 43 percent of EMS activations park service-wide involved simple first aid. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 19 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for first aid

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of first aid was in 1867

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“First aid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20aid. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

first aid

noun
: emergency treatment given to an ill or injured person

Medical Definition

first aid

noun
: emergency care or treatment given to an ill or injured person before regular medical aid can be obtained

More from Merriam-Webster on first aid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!