clinic

clinic — noun

1. a building or room where a doctor or nurse treats people who are ill or need a h

1.nounB1
Definition

a building or room where a doctor or nurse treats people who are ill or need a health check, often for a specific medical problem

Example

The local clinic offers free blood pressure checks every Tuesday morning.

collocation: offers free [service]

Aiko visited the clinic to get her cough checked before the school trip.

Common collocations
  • free clinic
  • local clinic
  • dental clinic
  • health clinic
  • visit the clinic
  • run a clinic
Synonyms
  • surgery

    British English term for a doctor's individual office, usually smaller than a clinic

  • medical centre

    broader term that may include several services such as a pharmacy and X-ray facilities

  • health centre

    similar to medical centre, often run by the local health authority

Usage Note

Often combined with a noun for the medical speciality, e.g. dental clinic, eye clinic, fertility clinic.

Common Mistakes

She stayed overnight at the clinic after her operation.
She stayed overnight at the hospital after her operation.
Clinics usually treat outpatients and rarely have beds for overnight stays, unlike a hospital.

2. a meeting or class where specialists give advice, training, or practical instruc

2.nounB2
Definition

a meeting or class where specialists give advice, training, or practical instruction on a specific skill or problem

Example

The weekend clinic taught young players how to improve their tennis serve.

pattern: clinic + taught + [participants] + how to + [skill]

Ravi signed up for a writing clinic led by a famous local author.

Common collocations
  • football clinic
  • writing clinic
  • skills clinic
  • parenting clinic
  • attend a clinic
  • hold a clinic
Synonyms
  • workshop

    more common for skills training; implies hands-on participation rather than expert demonstration

  • seminar

    focuses more on discussion and lecture than hands-on practice

  • masterclass

    implies a top-level expert teaching advanced students, often in the arts

Usage Note

The topic is usually expressed as a preceding noun (football clinic, writing clinic) or after 'on' (a clinic on public speaking).

Common Mistakes

I went to a writing hospital to improve my stories.
I went to a writing clinic to improve my stories.
Clinic can mean a non-medical training session; hospital cannot.

Word family

  • clinical
    adjectiveB2
  • clinically
    adverbB2
  • clinician
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Clinic and hospital both describe places where people receive medical care, but a clinic is smaller and treats outpatients — people who do not stay overnight. A hospital has beds and equipment for serious procedures, operations, and extended stays. Surgery is a British term for a single doctor's office where patients go for everyday medical problems, often in a residential neighbourhood. Medical centre and health centre are broader labels for a building that houses several doctors or services such as a pharmacy, a dentist, and a physiotherapist under one roof. For example, you might say 'I went to the clinic for an eye test,' but 'She was admitted to the hospital for surgery.' A surgery is where you see your family doctor, while a health centre may also offer blood tests and X-rays.

clinic ↗hospital ↗surgery ↗medical centrehealth centre

Common collocations

Nouns

  • clinic staff
  • clinic visit
  • clinic appointment
  • clinic hours

Phrases

  • run a clinic
  • open a clinic
  • visit a clinic
  • attend a clinic

Prepositions

  • at a clinic
  • in a clinic
  • to a clinic
  • a clinic for [health problem]

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word goes back to the Greek word 'klinē' meaning 'bed'. In ancient Greece, a 'klinikē tekhnē' was the art of treating patients who lay in bed. Latin borrowed 'clinicus' for a doctor who visited the sick at home. English first used 'clinic' in the 1800s for a place where medical students learned by watching doctors treat patients at the bedside.