ambulatory

1 of 2

adjective

am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce ambulatory (audio)
1
a
: able to walk about and not bedridden
ambulatory patients
b
: performed on or involving an ambulatory patient or an outpatient
ambulatory medical care
an ambulatory electrocardiogram
2
: of, relating to, or adapted to walking
ambulatory exercise
also : occurring during a walk
an ambulatory conversation
3
: moving from place to place : itinerant
for years led an ambulatory life
4
law : capable of being altered
a will is ambulatory until the testator's death
ambulatorily adverb

ambulatory

2 of 2

noun

plural ambulatories
: a sheltered place (as in a cloister or church) for walking

Examples of ambulatory in a Sentence

Adjective ambulatory theatrical companies that brought live theater to small towns across America
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But until the full audience is ambulatory, nights such as Monday are cast to the ether of a six-month regular-season, one of 82. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024 Though Kushner did not confirm the fact, the executive appears to be connected to Starpoint Health, a company that runs ambulatory surgery centers in Los Angeles. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024 An ambulatory — aisles for walking typically placed around the apse — was added to the building, bringing its total length to about 180 feet. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 The medications and ambulatory equipment in her home, along with the sorrow discernible beneath her acerbic demeanor, indicate that her sister has died recently and perhaps that Lia made a promise to find her missing daughter. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 Additionally, some of the ambulatory locations get deliveries directly from their distributors. Steve Banker, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024 These jobs were mostly in ambulatory healthcare and at hospitals and nursing facilities, as employers look to fill those patient-facing jobs. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 6 Feb. 2024 Sarepta Therapeutics said an efficacy supplement was submitted to the FDA, seeking to expand the prescribing label of its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy to all patients without restrictions on age or ambulatory status. Damian Garde, STAT, 22 Dec. 2023 In Switzerland, a team evaluated the use of such devices for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), which measures blood pressure continuously over 24 hours and is a better predictor of cardiovascular health than non-continuous measurements. Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2023
Noun
Strength goes hand in hand with BMI, because the key to remaining ambulatory is a high strength-to-weight ratio. Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2022 When companies join forces across the continuum of care—from acute to ambulatory and post-acute—capabilities are strengthened, and care teams have access to insights at every stage of a patient’s healthcare journey. Dave Wessinger, Forbes, 1 July 2022 The recommendations also call for closing the Cleveland VA Medical Center satellite ambulatory surgical center on Superior Avenue. Julie Washington, cleveland, 17 Mar. 2022 Just the opposite: a respiratory-borne virus is more easily transmitted by an ambulatory, socially interactive host. Donald S. Burke, STAT, 18 Feb. 2022 Employees from Central EMS, a Roswell ambulatory service, happened upon the scene and rescued the passenger from the burning vehicle before police showed up, according to the news release. Matt Bruce, ajc, 1 Jan. 2022 Bob oversees all hospital, ambulatory, and retail operations in this full continuum of care delivery system with annual revenues of $7 billion and 33,000 team members. Ellevate, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2021 Like similar agencies across the country, Seminole Fire Department has been impacted by high-call volumes and ambulatory transports related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Martin E. Comas, orlandosentinel.com, 24 Sep. 2021 Buccal fat removal is typically performed in a hospital, a licensed ambulatory surgery setting, or an in-office procedure room. Colleen Murphy, Health.com, 14 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambulatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French ambulatoire "movable, without fixed residence," borrowed from Latin ambulātōrius "movable, transferable, suitable for walking," from ambulāre "to go by foot, walk for pleasure or health, travel" + -tōrius, deverbal adjective suffix originally forming derivatives from agent nouns ending in -tōr-, -tor; (sense 1b) after German ambulatorisch — more at amble entry 1

Noun

earlier ameltori, amlatorye, borrowed from Medieval Latin ambulātōrium, noun derivative from neuter of Latin ambulātōrius "movable, suitable for walking" — more at ambulatory entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambulatory was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near ambulatory

Cite this Entry

“Ambulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambulatory. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ambulatory

adjective
am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry
ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē,
-ˌtȯr-
1
: of or relating to walking
2
: able to walk about

Medical Definition

ambulatory

adjective
am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr- How to pronounce ambulatory (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or adapted to walking
ambulatory exercise
2
a
: able to walk about and not bedridden
an ambulatory patient
All patients were ambulatory before hip fracture.Karim Anton Calis and Frank Pucino, The New England Journal of Medicine
b
: performed on or involving a patient who is able to walk about
Some patients report that ambulatory oxygen therapy helps relieve exercise-related breathlessness.Dennis E. Niewoehner, The New England Journal of Medicine
c
: performed on or provided to an outpatient
ambulatory care
Ambulatory surgical procedures have proliferated in recent years as a result of increases in the cost of inpatient health services.Mark A. Warner et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association
also : relating to or intended for outpatient care
ambulatory surgery centers
d
: performed on or worn by a patient during the course of normal daily activities (such as working and sleeping)
Rather than treat all patients on the basis of office blood pressure readings, some clinicians … maintain that certain patients should first be fitted with ambulatory blood pressure monitors that automatically record their blood pressure every 15 minutes or so throughout the day and night.Jane E. Brody, The New York Times
also : obtained by ambulatory monitoring
24-hour ambulatory blood pressure
ambulatorily adverb
a patient treated ambulatorily

Legal Definition

ambulatory

adjective
am·​bu·​la·​to·​ry ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce ambulatory (audio)
: capable of being altered
a will is ambulatory until the testator's death
Etymology

Adjective

Latin ambulatorius, literally, movable, transferable, from ambulare to walk, move, be transferred

More from Merriam-Webster on ambulatory

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