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
The University of Kansas Hospital will soon close its pediatric intensive care unit at its KCK location, the hospital confirmed to my colleague Kendrick Calfee.
—Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
Winning the ‘hospital war’ Behind their warm-and-fuzzy marketing, industry giants Abbott, maker of Similac products, and Mead Johnson, maker of the Enfamil line, have turned neonatal intensive care units into arenas of brutal competition.
—David Hilzenrath, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
He was intubated and taken to the intensive care unit but never regained consciousness.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026
Conor Hylton’s case seems to underscore the increasing number of patients who don’t see an intensive care unit specialist in person, even in an emergency, experts say.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for intensive care
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.
Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
Winning the ‘hospital war’ Behind their warm-and-fuzzy marketing, industry giants Abbott, maker of Similac products, and Mead Johnson, maker of the Enfamil line, have turned neonatal intensive care units into arenas of brutal competition.
—David Hilzenrath, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
He was intubated and taken to the intensive care unit but never regained consciousness.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026
Conor Hylton’s case seems to underscore the increasing number of patients who don’t see an intensive care unit specialist in person, even in an emergency, experts say.
—Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026
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 14 Apr. 2026.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
