intensive care
noun
1
: the continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services
Many of the sickest patients need intensive care, even to the point of being connected to a mechanical respirator.—
Lawrence K. Altman
Lawrence K. Altman2
: a designated area in a hospital providing intensive care : intensive care unit
heart patients in intensive care
… short of breath and feverish, doctors isolated him in intensive care.—Elisabeth Rosenthal
—often hyphenated when used before another nounElisabeth Rosenthalan intensive-care nurse
Examples of intensive care in a Sentence
Her condition will require intensive care.
Recent Examples on the Web
He was sent to intensive care and fractured his leg following the incident.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Ketler spent four days in the intensive care unit and then another 10 in the step-down unit before he was transported to a rehab facility.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Both mother and child were taken to a Reno hospital, where the infant was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit as a precaution—an incident organizers described as one of the festival's most unusual events.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Pritchard remains in intensive care at a Tallahassee-area hospital, the university added.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intensive care
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Ben Morse, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Ketler spent four days in the intensive care unit and then another 10 in the step-down unit before he was transported to a rehab facility.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Both mother and child were taken to a Reno hospital, where the infant was placed in the neonatal intensive care unit as a precaution—an incident organizers described as one of the festival's most unusual events.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Pritchard remains in intensive care at a Tallahassee-area hospital, the university added.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intensive care
Cite this Entry
“Intensive care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intensive%20care. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
intensive care
1 of 2 noun1
: the continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services
She required intensive care and survived without sequelae.—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association2
: a designated area in a hospital providing intensive care : intensive care unit
heart patients in intensive care
a patient isolated in intensive care
He spent several days in intensive care before recovering from the overdose.—Jerome Groopman
Jerome Groopmanintensive care
2 of 2 adjective
variants
also intensive-care
: providing or concerned with continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services
intensive care medicine
an intensive-care nurse
also
: receiving medical care in an intensive care unit
intensive care patients
compare acute care, chronic care
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