paramedic

play

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

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

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

A paramedic pulled an oxygen mask over Powe’s mouth.

— john diedrich, jsonline.com, "'No face, no case': How one man tried to permanently silence the witnesses to his crimes," 18 Aug. 2017
She was found by her roommate in the hallway of their split-level bungalow at 1911 Pinehurst Road in the Hollywood Hills at approximately 9 a.m. and pronounced dead by paramedics at 9:28, February 22, 2001.

— carolyn murnick, The Cut, "What I Know About My Best Friend’s Murder," 25 July 2017
The suspect was checked out by paramedics but wasn’t hurt and is being held in the Clay County Detention Center while prosecutors determine whether to file criminal charges.

— glenn e. rice, kansascity, "Clay County ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ car chase ends in ‘epic fail,’ says sheriff’s office," 18 July 2017
He was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to a hospital, but his condition was not known Friday night.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "Update: Teenager dies after water rescue at popular Boise swimming pond," 15 July 2017
He was treated by paramedics who took him away in an ambulance, without using lights or siren, the newspaper said.

— Bloomberg.com, "Spokeswoman: Jimmy Carter Out of Hospital After Rehydration," 14 July 2017
Medic arrived at 4:26 p.m., say its records, and life-saving efforts continued as paramedic Benjamin Shaw and EMT Brittany Harris expanded the CPR rotation to eight.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "His heart stopped for more than 30 minutes. How can he still be alive?," 13 July 2017
Photos from the scene posted by the Sun-Sentinel showed paramedics bandaging the man's legs as blood dripped down his ankles.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Shark bites terrified swimmer on both legs in Florida," 10 July 2017
Naperville paramedics and firefighters answered a total of 144 calls for assistance during Ribfest, Deputy Fire Chief Andy Dina said.

— bill bird, Naperville Sun, "Naperville cops, fire chief say Ribfest was free of crime, serious injuries," 6 July 2017

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

PARAMEDIC Defined for English Language Learners

paramedic

play

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

play

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

play

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