medical places and organizations

hospital

hospital [noun]

a place where people who are ill or injured are treated and taken care of by doctors and nurses

US /ˈhɑː.spɪ.t̬əl/ 
UK /ˈhɒs.pɪ.təl/ 
Example: 

He is receiving hospital treatment.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

hospital

 noun
a place where doctors and nurses look after people who are ill or hurt:
My brother is in hospital – he's broken his leg.
The ambulance took her to hospital.

word building
If you are very ill or you have an accident you go to hospital (Be careful! In British English, you do not say to the hospital). A doctor gives you treatment and you are called a patient. You might need to have an operation. The room in a hospital where people sleep is called a ward.
 

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

hospital

hospital S1 W1 /ˈhɒspɪtl $ ˈhɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Medieval Latin hospitale 'place to stay at', from Latin hospitalis 'of a guest', from hospes; ⇨ ↑host1]
a large building where sick or injured people receive medical treatment:
They are building a new hospital.
in hospital British English:
She visited him in hospital.
in the hospital American English:
Two people are in the hospital with serious burns.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
go to hospital British English, go to the hospital American English The pain got worse and she had to go to the hospital.
be taken/rushed/airlifted to hospital British English, be taken/rushed/airlifted to the hospital American English Three people were taken to hospital after a crash on the motorway.
be admitted to hospital British English, be admitted to the hospital American English He was admitted to hospital suffering from chest pain.
leave/come out of hospital British English, leave/come out of the hospital American English Her mother never left the hospital.
be discharged/released from hospital British English, be discharged/released from the hospital American English (=be allowed to leave a hospital because you are better) It was several weeks before he was released from hospital.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + hospital
a psychiatric hospital (also a mental hospital old-fashioned) (=for people with mental illnesses) He was admitted to a secure psychiatric hospital.
a children’s hospital an important children’s hospital
a maternity hospital British English (=for women having babies) Many maternity hospitals have been forced to close.
■ hospital + NOUN
hospital treatment/care What do older people think of hospital care?
a hospital stay (=the period someone spends in hospital) New surgical techniques mean a hospital stay of less than 48 hours.
a hospital bed There is a shortage of hospital beds.
a hospital ward/room nurses working on hospital wards
• • •
THESAURUS
hospital a large building where sick or injured people receive medical treatment: He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. | the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford | a mental hospital
medical center American English a large hospital, which often has many different departments, including areas for research: a discovery by doctors at the New England Medical Center
clinic a place, often in a hospital, where medical treatment and advice is given to people who do not need to stay in a hospital: a family-planning clinic (=which gives people help and advice about birth control) | a special clinic for people with drug and alcohol problems
hospice a special hospital for people who are dying: They are hoping to raise funds to build a hospice for sick and dying children.
nursing home/old people's home (also home) a place where people who are old and ill can live and be looked after, by nurses: She doesn't want to end up in a nursing home.
sanatorium a place where people recovering after a long illness were sent in the past, so that they could rest and receive special care: He was sent to a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps.
■ parts of a hospital
A&E/casualty British English, emergency room/ER American English the part of a hospital where people who are injured or who need urgent treatment are brought: A&E waiting times have gone down. | A 33-year-old man was brought to the emergency room in a coma.
operating theatre British English, operating room American English a room in a hospital where operations are done: Mrs Barnett was in the operating theatre for 11 hours while the transplant was carried out.
intensive care the part of a hospital where people who are very seriously ill or badly injured are cared for: Mr Dye is in intensive care with head injuries.
unit part of a hospital where a particular kind of treatment is carried out: the burns unit | the fertility unit
ward a large room in a hospital where people who need medical treatment stay: the women's ward | She works as a nurse on a busy hospital ward.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hospital

hos·pital [hospital hospitals]   [ˈhɒspɪtl]    [ˈhɑːspɪtl]  noun
a large building where people who are ill/sick or injured are given medical treatment and care: (BrE) He had to go to hospital for treatment.
(NAmE) He had to go to the hospital for treatment.
to be admitted to (the) hospital
to be discharged from (the) hospital
The injured were rushed to (the) hospital in an ambulance.
He died in (the) hospital.
I'm going to the hospital to visit my brother.
a psychiatric/mental hospital
hospital doctors/nurses/staff
There is an urgent need for more hospital beds.
see also  cottage hospital  
Word Origin:
Middle English (originally meaning a hospice run by the Knights Hospitallers in the 11th century): via Old French from medieval Latin hospitale, neuter of Latin hospitalis ‘hospitable’, from hospes, hospit- ‘host, guest’.  
Thesaurus:
hospital noun C
I'm going to the hospital to visit my brother.
infirmaryclinichospicesanatorium|AmE medical center
a private hospital/clinic/hospice/sanatorium/medical center
a/an eye/maternity/psychiatric hospital/clinic
go to/visit (the) hospital/a clinic 
British/American:
hospital
In BrE you say to hospital or in hospital when you talk about somebody being there as a patient: I had to go to hospital. She spent two weeks in hospital.
In NAmE you need to use the: I had to go to the hospital. She spent two weeks in the hospital.  
Example Bank:
He has been readmitted to hospital.
He is in hospital recovering from a heart operation.
He was taken to hospital as a precaution.
He's been taken to hospital for tests.
He's had to go into hospital rather suddenly.
How long will I have to stay in hospital?
I used to work as a cleaner in a hospital.
She came out of hospital this morning.
She was rushed to hospital.
She works at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
We went to the hospital to visit my gran.
He died in hospital.
He was admitted to hospital complaining of chest pains.
His delusions got worse until he was committed to a mental hospital.
I had to go to hospital.
I'm going to the hospital to visit my brother.
She was discharged from hospital and allowed to go home.
• The injured were rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

• There is a shortage of hospital beds.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

hospital / ˈhɒs.pɪ.t ə l /   / ˈhɑː.spɪ.t̬ ə l / noun [ C or U ]

A1 a place where people who are ill or injured are treated and taken care of by doctors and nurses:

a general/children's/maternity hospital

hospital patients/staff

UK I've got to go (in)to hospital ( US to the hospital) to have an operation.

UK She spent a week in hospital ( US in the hospital) last year.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

hospital

[hɒ̱spɪt(ə)l]
 
 hospitals
 N-VAR

 A hospital is a place where people who are ill are looked after by nurses and doctors.
  Queen Elizabeth Hospital is a children's hospital with 120 beds...
  A couple of weeks later my mother went into hospital...
  He may be able to leave hospital early next week.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

hospital

hos·pi·tal /ˈhɑːspɪtl̩/ noun, pl -tals [count] : a place where sick or injured people are given care or treatment and where children are often born
• (US) She's in the hospital. = (Brit) She's in hospital.
• (US) She was admitted to the hospital yesterday. = (Brit) She was admitted to hospital yesterday. [=she was hospitalized yesterday]
• (US) She'll be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. = (Brit) She'll be discharged from hospital tomorrow.
- often used before another noun
hospital beds
• a hospital gown

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