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

The other two Sutter Health facilities coming to Elk Grove are a pediatric urgent care center opening in October and a specialty care center opening in December, leaders said. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 29 July 2026

To help manage the situation, city officials placed portable toilets at several locations, including public parks and a local urgent care center. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 29 July 2026

Beretti, unable to walk because of the painful swelling, managed to drive to an urgent care center four days later. — Ella Moore july 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026

The male victim’s injuries required urgent care due to blood loss, but both victims are reported to be in stable condition. — Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 21 July 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