ambulance

/'æmbjuləns/

Thân thiện

An ambulance speeds down the city street with its lights flashing.

Definition

Noun: A specially equipped vehicle used for transporting sick or injured people, typically to a hospital or other medical facility. It is designed for emergency medical care during transport and is often staffed by paramedics or emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

Usage

The word "ambulance" is used to refer to the emergency medical vehicle itself. It is commonly seen in contexts involving accidents, medical emergencies, and healthcare services. - Call an ambulance: To request emergency medical transport. - Arrive by ambulance: To be transported to a location using this vehicle. - Ambulance service: The organization or system that provides emergency medical transport.

Examples

• Basic Usage:
  • We heard the siren of an ambulance rushing to the scene of the accident.
  • Please call an ambulance immediately; he's having a heart attack.
  • The injured cyclist was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Advanced Usage

• "Ambulance chasing": A derogatory term for the unethical practice of lawyers or their agents soliciting business from accident victims or their families at the scene of an accident or disaster.
  • The firm was accused of ambulance chasing after the major train crash.
• "Ambulance crew": Refers to the team of medical professionals (e.g., paramedics, EMTs) operating the ambulance.
  • The ambulance crew administered first aid at the scene.

Variants and Related Words

• Ambulanceman/Ambulancewoman (n, dated): A person who drives or works in an ambulance. (Modern, gender-neutral terms are "paramedic" or "EMT").
• Ambulatory (adj): Related to walking or able to walk. (Note: This is a different word with a different meaning, but it shares the Latin root , meaning "to walk").

Synonyms

• Emergency vehicle: A broader term that includes ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars.
• EMS unit: (Emergency Medical Services unit) A more technical term for an ambulance and its crew.
• Medic van / Rescue vehicle: Informal or descriptive terms for an ambulance.

Related Phrases (Phrasal verbs are not typically associated with the noun "ambulance.")

• To be ambulance-trained: To have received training in basic emergency medical care.
  • Several teachers are ambulance-trained to handle school emergencies.

Related Idioms

• "Like an ambulance chaser": Behaving in an opportunistic or exploitative manner, especially in seeking personal gain from others' misfortune.
  • Some reporters at the scandal were acting like ambulance chasers.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a vehicle that takes people to and from hospitals