urgent care

noun

1

: medical care provided for illnesses or injuries which require prompt attention but are typically not of such seriousness as to require the services of an emergency room

… they have turned to one of the fastest-growing segments of American health care: urgent care, a common category of walk-in clinics with uncommon interest from Wall Street.

—Julie Creswell

—often used before another noun

If your leg or arm is sore and swollen, go to an urgent care center; if you have chest pain, shortness of breath or you're coughing up blood, get to an emergency room.

—Rick Nathanson

The athlete sustains an inversion or eversion ankle injury and is evaluated at a local emergency room or urgent care facility.

—James S. Keene

2

: medical care of an urgent nature

Strokes now are the focus of a broad new public-awareness campaign labeling them as "brain attacks," needing the same urgent care as heart attacks.

—Marilyn Chase

Examples of urgent care in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At urgent care, the first round of testing failed to reveal the true cause of her symptoms since nothing immediately suggested a life-threatening illness. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026

Baptist Health also operates its own virtual health platform for urgent care, the Baptist Health PineApp, which allows patients to see a doctor from anywhere, with no appointment needed. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 12 June 2026

Major international events place enormous strain on local healthcare systems, emergency departments, transportation networks and urgent care facilities. —John Samuels, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

For many common health concerns, people may have options such as virtual care, urgent care, retail clinics, or a doctor’s office that can save time, lower costs, and reduce the stress of unexpected medical bills. —Anthem Blue Cross California, Daily News, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for urgent care

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware