intensive care
noun
1
: the continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services
Many of the sickest patients need intensive care, even to the point of being connected to a mechanical respirator.—
Lawrence K. Altman
Lawrence K. Altman2
: a designated area in a hospital providing intensive care : intensive care unit
heart patients in intensive care
… short of breath and feverish, doctors isolated him in intensive care.—Elisabeth Rosenthal
—often hyphenated when used before another nounElisabeth Rosenthalan intensive-care nurse
Examples of intensive care in a Sentence
Her condition will require intensive care.
Recent Examples on the Web
However, after the procedure and a full weekend in the intensive care unit, Trey Howard was moved to a regular room on Monday and continues to recover from the harrowing event.
—Stephanie Ramos, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025
Hagans began her union activity when she was denied a day shift in the hospital’s intensive care unit; nurses of color were relegated to the night shift.
—Jared McCallister, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2025
Her toddler spent days in the intensive care unit for respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, and pneumonia.
—Channon Hodge, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
Ortiz was moved out of the intensive care unit on June 22, 2019, and he was released from the hospital over a month later on July 26, 2019.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for intensive care 
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Stephanie Ramos, ABC News, 4 Feb. 2025
Hagans began her union activity when she was denied a day shift in the hospital’s intensive care unit; nurses of color were relegated to the night shift.
—Jared McCallister, New York Daily News, 2 Feb. 2025
Her toddler spent days in the intensive care unit for respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, and pneumonia.
—Channon Hodge, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
Ortiz was moved out of the intensive care unit on June 22, 2019, and he was released from the hospital over a month later on July 26, 2019.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for intensive care
Dictionary Entries Near intensive care
Cite this Entry
“Intensive care.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intensive%20care. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
intensive care
1 of 2 noun1
: the continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services
She required intensive care and survived without sequelae.—The Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association2
: a designated area in a hospital providing intensive care : intensive care unit
heart patients in intensive care
a patient isolated in intensive care
He spent several days in intensive care before recovering from the overdose.—Jerome Groopman
Jerome Groopmanintensive care
2 of 2 adjective
variants
also intensive-care
: providing or concerned with continuous monitoring and treatment of critically ill or injured patients using special medical facilities, equipment, and services
intensive care medicine
an intensive-care nurse
also
: receiving medical care in an intensive care unit
intensive care patients
compare acute care, chronic care
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