gurney

noun gur·ney \ ˈgər-nē \

Updated on: 3 Apr 2018

Definition of gurney

plural gurneys

: a wheeled cot or stretcher

See gurney defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of gurney from the Web

Still in his parka and snow pants, Beckett is wrapped in a soft blanket and placed on a gurney.

— mark shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Was my son’s frightening injury an owl attack?," 28 Mar. 2018
Other times, patients had to wait while orderlies roamed the halls looking for the gurneys or wheelchairs needed to get things rolling.

— paul sisson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Chula Vista hospital cuts the wait for its patients," 19 Mar. 2018
Television news reports showed multiple rescuers attempting to reach people and at least one patient on a gurney.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "FIU pedestrian bridge collapses; several people reported injured," 15 Mar. 2018
Deschamps-Braly stood next to Abby on the gurney, and stroked her arm.

— jane mayer, The New Yorker, "The Story of a Trans Woman’s Face," 12 Mar. 2018
And that’s when the nurse, Jess Hamm, 30, saw Delilah on a gurney with broken bones, a skull fracture and severe malnourishment.

— matthew diebel, USA TODAY, "Florida nurse sees abused twins in hospital, adopts them," 7 Mar. 2018
There are rollers on the gurney and sometimes on the floor of the cremation unit so the casket can slide with ease.

— caren chesler, Popular Mechanics, "Burning Out: What Really Happens Inside a Crematorium," 1 Mar. 2018
The witness, Gary Mills, said responders put the man on a gurney.

— miamiherald, "Man runs out of a hospital on fire after smashing car into emergency room, Connecticut witness says | Miami Herald," 22 Feb. 2018
In this May 27, 2008 file photo, the gurney in Huntsville, Texas, where Texas' condemned are strapped down to receive a lethal dose of drugs is shown.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Lawyers claim last 2 Texas executions botched by old drugs - and Dallas killer should get a stay," 1 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gurney.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gurney

probably ultimately from Gurney cab type of horse-drawn cab with a rear entrance, from J. Theodore Gurney, who patented such a cab in Boston in 1883

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First Known Use: 1939

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GURNEY Defined for English Language Learners

gurney

noun

Definition of gurney for English Language Learners

: a bed on a frame with wheels that is used for moving people who are sick or injured

Medical Dictionary

gurney

noun gur·ney \ ˈgər-nē \

medical Definition of gurney

plural gurneys

: a wheeled cot or stretcher

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