inpatient

noun

in·​pa·​tient ˈin-ˌpā-shənt How to pronounce inpatient (audio)
: a hospital patient who receives lodging and food as well as treatment compare outpatient

Examples of inpatient in a Sentence

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.
Sixteen other states have the same ability to cover inpatient mental health care, and 37 cover inpatient addiction treatment. Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025 Adding inpatient hospital beds in North County is a significant regional priority as both Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and Palomar have closed their units in recent years, requiring patients who need overnight treatment in locked facilities to travel south for care. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025 In 2017, four years after the Austin and Albert Lea hospitals merged into one entity, MCHS moved most of Albert Lea’s inpatient services to the Austin campus. Dené K. Dryden, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025 And a June 2024 research analysis published in the journal BMC Medicine found a 25 percent reduction in mortality rates for patients who had been discharged early from an inpatient hospital stay into a hospital at home program. Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inpatient

Word History

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inpatient was in 1760

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Cite this Entry

“Inpatient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inpatient. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

inpatient

noun
in·​pa·​tient ˈin-ˌpā-shənt How to pronounce inpatient (audio)
: a hospital patient who receives lodging and food as well as treatment compare outpatient

Medical Definition

inpatient

noun
in·​pa·​tient ˈin-ˌpā-shənt How to pronounce inpatient (audio)
: a hospital patient who receives lodging and food as well as treatment compare outpatient

More from Merriam-Webster on inpatient

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