gurney

noun gur·ney \ ˈgər-nē \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 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

The doors to the operating room opened, and the gurney continued.

— shari rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "'This room becomes sacred.' The heroic and heartbreaking journey of one organ donor's body," 17 May 2018
Andrade and many other patients stood amid the gurneys because all the chairs and beds were taken.

— chris kraul, latimes.com, "Hungry, sick and increasingly desperate, thousands of Venezuelans are pouring into Colombia," 13 May 2018
The beds are bare-bones, just a gurney and a bedside table.

— devin kelly, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s only psychiatric emergency room is overflowing. It’s a sign of a system breaking down.," 11 May 2018
Fans were stunned to see Clayton's lifeless body on a gurney minutes into Tuesday night's show after he was shot protecting Abby during a robbery.

— faith karimi, CNN, "How this 'NCIS' actor's role mirrored real life," 10 May 2018
Strapped to a gurney with his arms out to his sides, Butts kept his eyes closed throughout the procedure.

— russ bynum, chicagotribune.com, "Georgia executes inmate for 1996 murder of off-duty prison guard," 4 May 2018
Strapped to a gurney with his arms out to his sides, Butts kept his eyes closed throughout the procedure.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Killer of prison guard executed in Georgia after appeal fails," 4 May 2018
The scene about the man there alone on the gurney with the single tear running down his face has never left me.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Former Texas prison spokeswoman releases tell-all book after watching 280 executions," 3 May 2018
Outside, a white van pulls up, a man opens the back doors, pulls out a gurney.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "A Time To Die And Be Reborn: Poems By Priscilla Wear Ellsworth," 19 Apr. 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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1939

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year