1 hospital | Definition of hospital

hospital

noun, often attributive
hos·​pi·​tal | \ ˈhä-(ˌ)spi-tᵊl How to pronounce hospital (audio) \

Definition of hospital

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

French worked at several locations, including hospitals and schools, and gained exposure to the fields of speech-language pathology and other allied health professions in the developing country. Sam Boyer, cleveland.com, "College Corner, Medina County," 30 Aug. 2019 Germany hosts a major airbase, military hospital and other facilities that are key for U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Africa. Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, "Trump plans second visit to Poland although he probably won’t get a ‘Fort Trump’," 29 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hospital.' 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 hospital

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for hospital

Middle English hospital, ospitale "residence for pilgrims and travelers, charitable institution providing residence for the poor and infirm," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin hospitāle, going back to Latin, in plural hospitālia "guest accommodations" (probably by ellipsis from hospitāle cubiculum "sleeping room for guests"), noun derivative from neuter of hospitālis "of a guest, of hospitality, hospitable," from hospit-, hospes "guest, host" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at host entry 3

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More Definitions for hospital

hospital

noun

English Language Learners Definition of hospital

: a place where sick or injured people are given care or treatment and where children are often born

hospital

noun
hos·​pi·​tal | \ ˈhä-ˌspi-tᵊl How to pronounce hospital (audio) \

Kids Definition of hospital

: a place where the sick and injured are given medical care

hospital

noun, often attributive
hos·​pi·​tal | \ ˈhäs-ˌpit-ᵊl How to pronounce hospital (audio) \

Medical Definition of hospital

1 : a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm, or young
2a : 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
b : a place for the care and treatment of sick and injured animals

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More from Merriam-Webster on hospital

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with hospital

Spanish Central: Translation of hospital

Nglish: Translation of hospital for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of hospital for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hospital

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