hospital

noun, often attributive

hos·pi·tal | \ ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tᵊl

Definition of hospital

1 : a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young

2 : an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care —usually used in British English without an article after a preposition

3 : a repair shop for specified small objects a clock hospital

Examples of hospital in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fink died Friday night of complications from old age after he was admitted to an Anchorage hospital last week, his son Josh said Saturday. — Samantha Davenport, Anchorage Daily News, 6 June 2021 Three passengers are transported to an area hospital for evaluation of SARS and later released. — Cnn Editorial Research, CNN, 6 June 2021 The latest victim was a Dallas man in his 70s who had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying health conditions. — Kelli Smith, Dallas News, 5 June 2021 Police said he was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. — Deanese Williams-harris, chicagotribune.com, 5 June 2021 The man drove himself to an area hospital for treatment, police said. — Phillip Jackson, baltimoresun.com, 3 June 2021 She was taken to an area hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and released. — Stephanie Pagones, Fox News, 1 June 2021 The driver of the Camry was extricated from the car by Woburn fire and transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. — BostonGlobe.com, 31 May 2021 Johnson and Simms were killed in the shooting and the other two people in the car, a 24-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man, were taken to an area hospital to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds. — Andres Picon, San Antonio Express-News, 30 May 2021

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

History and Etymology for hospital

Middle English hospital, ospitale "residence for pilgrims and travelers, charitable institution providing residence for the poor and infirm," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin hospitāle, going back to Latin, in plural hospitālia "guest accommodations" (probably by ellipsis from hospitāle cubiculum "sleeping room for guests"), noun derivative from neuter of hospitālis "of a guest, of hospitality, hospitable," from hospit-, hospes "guest, host" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at host entry 3

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Last Updated

10 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Hospital.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospital. Accessed 12 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for hospital

hospital

noun

English Language Learners Definition of hospital

: a place where sick or injured people are given care or treatment and where children are often born

See the full definition for hospital in the English Language Learners Dictionary

hospital

noun

hos·pi·tal | \ ˈhä-ˌspi-tᵊl

Kids Definition of hospital

: a place where the sick and injured are given medical care

hospital

noun, often attributive

hos·pi·tal | \ ˈhäs-ˌpit-ᵊl

Medical Definition of hospital

1 : a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young

2a : an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care —when used in British English following a preposition, the article is usually omitted came and saw me in hospital— Robert Graves

b : a place for the care and treatment of sick and injured animals