hospital
noun
hos·pi·tal
ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tᵊl 
often attributive
1
: a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young
2
: an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care
—usually used in British English without an article after a preposition
3
: a repair shop for specified small objects
a clock hospital
Examples of hospital in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The man was taken to a Fargo, N.D., hospital by ambulance to be treated for a single gunshot wound.
—
Matt Henson, Twin Cities, 9 Nov. 2024
Two people, not firefighters, were injured and taken to a hospital, Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
The impact launched White off of his bicycle and into a fence, and doctors pronounced him dead at a nearby hospital.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 7 Nov. 2024
He was transported to a hospital and died later that day.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hospital 
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Matt Henson, Twin Cities, 9 Nov. 2024
Two people, not firefighters, were injured and taken to a hospital, Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said.
—Phil Helsel, NBC News, 8 Nov. 2024
The impact launched White off of his bicycle and into a fence, and doctors pronounced him dead at a nearby hospital.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 7 Nov. 2024
He was transported to a hospital and died later that day.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hospital
Articles Related to hospital
Dictionary Entries Near hospital
Cite this Entry
“Hospital.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospital. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hospital
noun
hos·pi·tal
ˈhäs-ˌpit-ᵊl
: an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care
Etymology
Middle English hospital "a stopping place for travelers, a place that cares for people too old, sick, or poor to care for themselves," from early French hospital (same meaning), derived from Latin hospitale "hospice, guest house," from hospitalis "of a guest," from hospit-, hospes "host, stranger, guest," from hostis "stranger, enemy" — related to hospitality, host entry 1, host entry 2, hostile, hotel
Medical Definition
hospital
noun
hos·pi·tal
ˈhäs-ˌpit-ᵊl
often attributive
1
: a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young
2
a
: an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care
—when used in British English following a preposition, the article is usually omitted
came and saw me in hospital—Robert Graves
Robert Graves
b
: a place for the care and treatment of sick and injured animals
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