Meaning & use
ASC
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Meanings
abbreviationmedical
A clinic where patients have surgery and go home the same day, short for ambulatory surgery center.
Grammar: Used as a noun; often followed by a name or location, e.g., 'City ASC'.
Patterns
- at an ASC
- an ASC procedure
She had her knee operation at a local ASC and was home by evening.
Many minor surgeries are now performed in an ASC rather than a hospital.
The ASC offers lower costs than a traditional hospital stay.
abbreviationcomputing
Short for ascending, used to describe a sort order from smallest to largest or A to Z.
Grammar: Used especially in computing; often written after a column name or in a menu.
Patterns
- sort ASC
- ASC order
Click the column header to sort the data in ASC order.
The default sort is ASC, so numbers go from low to high.
Set the field to ASC if you want names starting with A first.
Common combinations
- ASC procedure
- The ASC procedure was quick and required no overnight stay.
- ASC facility
- The new ASC facility specializes in eye surgery.
- sort ASC
- In the database query, use 'ORDER BY name ASC' to list names alphabetically.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ambulatory surgery center
- The full form; ASC is the abbreviation and is more common in informal or business contexts.
- outpatient clinic
- A broader term for a clinic where patients do not stay overnight; ASC is specifically for surgery.
Commonly confused: ASC or ASAP? ASC or ATM?
ASC vs ASAP
ASAP means 'as soon as possible'; ASC is unrelated and refers to a surgery center or ascending order.
ASC vs ATM
ATM is an automated teller machine; ASC is a medical or computing abbreviation.
Practice
In a medical context, what does ASC most commonly stand for?
Choose one answer.
ASC in healthcare typically means Ambulatory Surgery Center, a place for same-day surgery. The other options are not standard expansions of ASC in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ASC”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.