intensive care

noun

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of intensive care

1 : continuous monitoring and treatment of seriously ill patients using special medical equipment and services

2 : a unit in a hospital providing intensive care

heart patients in intensive care

See intensive care defined for English-language learners

See intensive care defined for kids

Examples of intensive care in a Sentence

Her condition will require intensive care.

Recent Examples of intensive care from the Web

Paul Nappi arrived at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s intensive care unit suffering from a severe lung problem on March 8.

— stacey burling, Philly.com, "Words that heal: ICU journals at Penn help patients and staff," 20 Apr. 2018
Hebert died in December 2012 at age 33 after open heart surgery and 148 days in the intensive care unit of a Spokane hospital.

— beth bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "At 40th annual Heart Run, runners share spotlight with fundraisers," 20 Apr. 2018
Once he was released from intensive care and transported back to Buffalo, his bail was revoked.

— brendan i. koerner, WIRED, "The Young and the Reckless," 17 Apr. 2018
The whole scene, in fact, starts to look like an upmarket, open-air intensive care facility with the empty lounger to the right a poignant symbol of absence: a memorial to the Unknown Sunbather.

— jennifer szalai, New York Times, "Geoff Dyer Takes to the Streets With Garry Winogrand," 28 Mar. 2018
Lartch spent nearly 45 years in the medical field, starting out as a Navy corpsman at Camp Pendleton in 1973 and then working at the base hospital and Tri-City Medical Center as a registered nurse in intensive care and emergency care.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Man's metric name change aims to wake up America," 26 Mar. 2018
The second injured student, a 16-year-old girl, was in intensive care with life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said.

— jennifer levitz, WSJ, "Maryland High-School Shooting Leaves Two Students Injured, Assailant Dead," 20 Mar. 2018
After nearly four months in neonatal intensive care, Josie left the hospital — only to be rushed back a few days later after her vital signs dropped.

— aurelie corinthios, PEOPLE.com, "Emergency C-Sections, Days-Long Labor and Breech Babies: The Most Complicated Duggar Births," 20 Mar. 2018
Jaycee was admitted to a hospital's intensive care.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "Metairie toddler burned after biting into laundry pod: report," 17 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of intensive care

1963

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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INTENSIVE CARE Defined for English Language Learners

intensive care

noun

Definition of intensive care for English Language Learners

: a section of a hospital where special medical equipment and services are provided for patients who are seriously injured or ill; also : the medical care provided in such a section

INTENSIVE CARE Defined for Kids

intensive care

noun

Definition of intensive care for Students

: constant observation and treatment of very ill patients in a special unit of a hospital

Medical Dictionary

intensive care

adjective

medical Definition of intensive care

: having special medical facilities, services, and monitoring devices to meet the needs of gravely ill patients

an intensive care unit

— compare acute care, chronic care

—

intensive care

noun

- She required intensive care and survived without sequelae.
- —The Journal of the American Medical Association, 4 July 1986
- He spent several days in intensive care before recovering from the overdose.
- —Jerome Groopman, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2005