hospital

noun, often attributive hos·pi·tal \ ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tᵊl \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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

See hospital defined for English-language learners

See hospital defined for kids

Recent Examples of hospital from the Web

They were taken to jail, and the two officers who caught the fade were treated a local hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

— monique judge, The Root, "White Family Beats Down 2 Police Officers, Miraculously No One Gets Shot," 7 June 2018
After the accident victims were transported to a local hospital, officers with the Galveston Police Department's accident reconstruction team arrived and began processing the scene.

— nick powell, Houston Chronicle, "One dead after vehicle strikes two bicyclists in Galveston," 5 June 2018
Eleven students, ages 11-13, were transported to local hospitals for further treatment after mace was sprayed in the cafeteria at Southwest Academy in Woodlawn Tuesday morning, Baltimore County Fire Battalion Chief Robert Kemp said.

— cody boteler, baltimoresun.com, "11 Southwest Academy students transported to hospitals after mace-spraying incident," 5 June 2018
The driver of the car, David Crawford, 37, of Upper Arlington, Ohio, was given a field sobriety test and taken to a local hospital.

— roxanna scott, USA TODAY, "Details emerge about car accident that injured pro golfer during Memorial week," 5 June 2018
All but one attendee, who was taken to a local hospital per the parents' request, returned back to the park.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky Kingdom roller coaster reopens after collision investigation," 5 June 2018
The man has been taken to a local hospital for medical attention.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Florida deputy hurls Bush bean cans to subdue suspect," 4 June 2018
The woman was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, police said.

— laney ruckstuhl, BostonGlobe.com, "Man attacks MBTA worker at Alewife station," 4 June 2018
The victim was shot in the lower leg and transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to a Denver police news release.

— casey quackenbush, Time, "Off-Duty FBI Agent Under Investigation for Accidentally Shooting a Man While Performing a Backflip," 4 June 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of hospital

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin hospitale hospice, guest house, from neuter of Latin hospitalis of a guest, from hospit-, hospes

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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HOSPITAL Defined for English Language Learners

hospital

noun

Definition of hospital for English Language Learners

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

HOSPITAL Defined for Kids

hospital

noun hos·pi·tal \ ˈhä-ˌspi-tᵊl \

Definition of hospital for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

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

2 a : 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

Learn More about hospital

See words that rhyme with hospital Spanish Central: Translation of hospital Nglish: Translation of hospital for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hospital for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hospital

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hospital

Definition of hospital

Recent Examples of hospital from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hospital

HOSPITAL Defined for English Language Learners

hospital

Definition of hospital for English Language Learners

HOSPITAL Defined for Kids

hospital

Definition of hospital for Students

Medical Dictionary

hospital

medical Definition of hospital

Learn More about hospital

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