defibrillator

noun
de·​fi·​bril·​la·​tor | \ (ˌ)dē-ˈfi-brə-ˌlā-tər How to pronounce defibrillator (audio) \

Definition of defibrillator

: an electronic device that applies an electric shock to restore the rhythm of a fibrillating heart

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Other Words from defibrillator

defibrillate \ (ˌ)dē-​ˈfi-​brə-​ˌlāt How to pronounce defibrillate (audio) \ transitive verb
defibrillation \ (ˌ)dē-​ˌfi-​brə-​ˈlā-​shən How to pronounce defibrillation (audio) \ noun

Examples of defibrillator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Sheriff’s Office recently began outfitting its squad cars with automated external defibrillators. Nico Savidge, The Mercury News, "Sheriff could limit Taser use after deadly San Mateo County arrests," 22 July 2019 But since automated external defibrillators, or AEDs for short, were installed, the survival rate in Hawaii’s airports climbed to about 70 percent. oregonlive.com, "Two Larrys, two cardiac arrests, two survivors thanks to AEDs," 20 July 2019 As for his health, Fletcher recently had a cardioverter-defibrillator implanted in his heart. Lauren Saria, azcentral, "2 years after a coma, this Phoenix chef is back and making the burgers of his dreams," 3 July 2019 Ten long minutes had elapsed from that first call about the shooting before DJ was finally hooked up to a defibrillator. James Brown, CBS News, "Defending DJ: Was the fatal shooting of a Pace University football player justified?," 22 June 2019 King County also spends about $112,000 a year to help communities buy automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. Lynn Arditi, ProPublica, "One Cardiac Arrest. Four 911 Callers. And a Tragic Outcome.," 4 June 2019 Ultimately, a portable defibrillator at the school shocked the child’s heart back into rhythm, but only after the second try. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, "Inside the critical moments of a football tragedy," 8 Aug. 2019 There have been other cybersecurity alerts issued by the FDA with respect to heart defibrillators and heart pacers known as cardiac resynchronization therapy devices. Thomas M. Burton, WSJ, "FDA Says Medtronic Insulin Pumps Pose Cybersecurity Risk," 27 June 2019 At the medical center, a doctor managed to revive Tina, John Hammell said, at one point using a defibrillator. Ashley Fantz, CNN, "After deaths, more tourists to Dominican Republic say they were stricken with illness," 24 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'defibrillator.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of defibrillator

1952, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for defibrillator

defibrillator

noun

English Language Learners Definition of defibrillator

medical : a device that gives an electric shock to a person's heart in order to make it beat normally again especially after a heart attack

defibrillator

noun
de·​fi·​bril·​la·​tor | \ (ˈ)dē-ˈfib-rə-ˌlāt-ər How to pronounce defibrillator (audio) , -ˈfīb- How to pronounce defibrillator (audio) \

Medical Definition of defibrillator

: an electronic device used to defibrillate a heart by applying an electric shock to it