Meaning & use
hospital
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A place where doctors and nurses treat people who are ill or injured.
Grammar: Countable: a hospital, the hospital, hospitals. In British English, say 'in hospital' (no 'the') when you are a patient; American English says 'in the hospital'.
Patterns
- go to hospital
- be in hospital
- take someone to hospital
- work at a hospital
She was taken to hospital after the accident.
He works as a nurse at the local hospital.
The new hospital has a modern emergency room.
nouncountable
A place that provides a particular type of medical care, often for long-term or specialist treatment.
Grammar: Countable; often used in names: a children's hospital, a psychiatric hospital.
Patterns
- a children's hospital
- a psychiatric hospital
- a maternity hospital
The children's hospital treats kids from all over the region.
She spent three months in a psychiatric hospital.
The maternity hospital delivers over a thousand babies a year.
Word forms
| plural | hospitals |
|---|
Common combinations
- go to hospital
- He had to go to hospital for an operation.
- in hospital
- My grandmother is in hospital with a broken hip.
- hospital bed
- The hospital bed was adjustable.
- hospital staff
- The hospital staff were very kind.
- leave hospital
- She will leave hospital tomorrow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clinic
- A smaller place for medical treatment, often for outpatients or a specific specialty; a hospital is larger and has beds for overnight care.
- medical center
- A group of medical buildings and services; can include a hospital but is broader.
- infirmary
- An old-fashioned word for a small hospital, often in a school or prison.
Word family
- hospitalize verb
- To send someone to a hospital for treatment.
- hospitalization noun
- The act of being admitted to a hospital.
- hospitality noun
- Friendly treatment of guests; not related to medical care.
Commonly confused: hospital or hostel? hospital or hospice?
hospital vs hostel
A cheap place to stay for travelers or students; sounds similar but is not medical.
hospital vs hospice
A place for people who are very ill and near the end of life; a hospital treats curable or emergency conditions.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence for British English.
Choose one answer.
In British English, when someone is a patient, we say 'in hospital' without 'the'. 'In the hospital' is American English. 'At hospital' and 'on hospital' are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hospital”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.