ambulance

UK /ˈæm.bjʊ.ləns/ US /ˈæm.bjə.ləns/ Syllables: am-bu-lance

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A vehicle used to carry sick or injured people to the hospital quickly.

An ambulance is a vehicle that carries sick or injured people to a hospital quickly. It has a siren and flashing lights so that other drivers will move out of the way. Inside there is medical equipment, and trained staff called paramedics can treat patients on the way. In many countries you call a special emergency number to ask for an ambulance. Some hospitals also have an air ambulance, which is a helicopter used for urgent cases.

"The ambulance arrived within minutes and rushed him to hospital."

Example sentences

"Someone called an ambulance after the accident."

Level A1
"The ambulance arrived in five minutes."

Level A1
"He was taken to the hospital by ambulance."

Level A2
"The ambulance siren grew louder."

Level A2

Look-alikes and common mistakes

paramedic : A paramedic is a trained person who gives emergency care. An ambulance is the vehicle.
stretcher : A stretcher is a bed for carrying a patient. An ambulance carries the stretcher.

Word family and forms

Forms: ambulances

ambulatory paramedic air ambulance

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "ambulance".

call an ambulance
an ambulance driver
an ambulance siren
an air ambulance
by ambulance
an ambulance crew

Origin

Ambulance was borrowed into English in the early 1800s from French, where it replaced the phrase hopital ambulant, a moving hospital. The French word is built from Latin ambulare, to walk or go about, and the ending -ance.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Ambulance begins with ambul, as in amble. An amble is a slow walk, and the old ambulance was a moving hospital.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "Someone called an _____ after the accident."

Answer: ambulance

In your own words, what does "ambulance" mean?