paramedic

noun para·med·ic \ ˌper-ə-ˈme-dik , ˌpa-rə- \

variants: or less commonly paramedical play \ˌper-ə-ˈme-di-kəl, ˌpa-rə-\

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: The history of paramedic

Definition of paramedic

1 : a person who works in a health field in an auxiliary capacity to a physician (as by giving injections and taking X-rays)

2 : a specially trained medical technician licensed to provide a wide range of emergency services (such as defibrillation and the intravenous administration of drugs) before or during transportation to a hospital — compare emt

See paramedic defined for English-language learners

See paramedic defined for kids

Examples of paramedic in a Sentence

She's training to be a paramedic.

Recent Examples of paramedic from the Web

When paramedics arrived, Kathleen was pronounced dead.

— morgan baila, refinery29.com, "Everything New In Netflix’s The Staircase," 8 June 2018
The goal of the kits is to keep victims from bleeding out before paramedics arrive.

— larry barszewski, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Broward commission condemns school shooting video game," 5 June 2018
After 45 to 60 seconds of CPR, the boy vomited and paramedics arrived a short while later to take over, McGury said.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "14-year-old rescued from Naperville's Centennial Beach after jumping off diving board," 1 June 2018
Good Samaritans, including a former Army medic, tried treating him before paramedics arrived.

— michael williams, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Man dies after being found shot on S.R. 408; suspect still sought, authorities say," 1 June 2018
According to Betts, both were treated by emergency first aid teams at the festival until paramedics arrived to take them to the Queen Alexandra Hospital.

— lilly milman, Billboard, "Mutiny Festival Cut Short Following Drug-Related Deaths," 30 May 2018
The medical professional would ideally decide the proper protocol for each medical situation, provide short-term diagnoses, administer first aid, and stay by the patient’s side in the event that paramedics are called.

— margeaux sippell, BostonGlobe.com, "Should there be a doctor in the (State) House?," 29 May 2018
After the shooting, Covelli said, Gurnee police officers attempted to give Meyerin medical aid before paramedics arrived and took her to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where she was later pronounced dead.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Bond set at $100,000 for man accused of being with woman fatally shot by police in Gurnee," 25 May 2018
Royalty was found early Wednesday afternoon in the Lawndale neighborhood, police said. Chicago Fire Department paramedics were called to the 600 block of South Francisco Avenue and found the baby at about 1:10 p.m.

— paige fry, chicagotribune.com, "Mother in custody after missing 3-month-old girl found unharmed on West Side," 23 May 2018

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

The history of paramedic

In ground warfare, wounded troops must usually be transported from the front lines back to field hospitals, and trained paramedical personnel—that is, nondoctors, usually known as medics or corpsmen—were first widely used in such situations. It took many decades for the wartime model to be applied effectively to ordinary peacetime medicine. With advances in medical technology (such as defibrillators, for restarting a heart after a heart attack), paramedics became an essential part of emergency medicine, and today hundreds of thousands of people owe their lives to paramedics. Paraprofessionals who work only in hospitals and clinics usually go by other titles.

First Known Use of paramedic

1967

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

PARAMEDIC Defined for English Language Learners

paramedic

noun

Definition of paramedic for English Language Learners

: a person whose job is to provide emergency medical care to sick or injured people who are being taken to a hospital

PARAMEDIC Defined for Kids

paramedic

noun para·med·ic \ ˌper-ə-ˈme-dik \

Definition of paramedic for Students

: a person specially trained to care for a patient before or during the trip to a hospital

Medical Dictionary

paramedic

noun para·med·ic \ ˌpar-ə-ˈmed-ik \

variants: also paramedical play \-i-kəl\

medical Definition of paramedic

1 : a person who works in a health field in an auxiliary capacity to a physician (as by giving injections and taking X-rays)

2 : a specially trained medical technician certified to provide a wide range of emergency medical services (as defibrillation and the intravenous administration of drugs) before or during transport to the hospital — compare emt