hospital

hospital — noun

1. a facility where doctors and nurses give medical care to sick or hurt people and

1.nounA1
Definition

a facility where doctors and nurses give medical care to sick or hurt people and those who need an operation.

Example

Putri visited her grandmother in the hospital after the older woman's knee surgery.

visit + in the hospital → see a patient who is staying there

The ambulance took the hurt man to the nearest hospital very quickly.

be taken to hospital by ambulance (emergency)

Common collocations
  • be admitted to hospital
  • be discharged from hospital
  • hospital staff
  • hospital bed
  • children's hospital
  • teaching hospital
  • go to the hospital
  • leave the hospital
Synonyms
  • clinic

    smaller facility for non-emergency care or specialist appointments, does not usually have overnight beds

  • medical center

    larger facility that may combine a hospital with outpatient clinics and research units

Grammar Patterns

at / in / to + the + hospital

hospital + noun (attributive)

Usage Note

In American English, the definite article is usually used ("in the hospital"), while British English often omits it when referring to being a patient ("in hospital"). "At the hospital" can mean visiting or working there in both varieties.

Common Mistakes

She went to hospital to see a doctor.' (American English)
She went to the hospital to see a doctor.
American English uses 'the hospital' for all meanings; British English uses 'hospital' without 'the' only when you are a patient.

Word family

  • hospitalize
    verbB2
  • hospitalization
    nounB2
  • hospitality
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A hospital is a large facility with overnight beds, emergency rooms, and equipment for serious treatments and surgeries. A clinic is a smaller building where you visit a doctor for a checkup or minor problem — it usually has no beds and no emergency room. A medical center can range from a large clinic with many specialties to a full hospital — the term often emphasizes the range of services rather than the size. For example: "You would go to a hospital for a broken leg, but to a clinic for a flu shot."

hospital ↗clinic ↗medical center

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • admitted to hospital
  • discharged from hospital
  • check into hospital
  • in the hospital
  • out of the hospital

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'hospitālis', meaning 'relating to a guest or host', from 'hospes' (guest, host). It originally referred to a place where travelers or guests were received, and later shifted to mean a place for caring for the sick.