What does "emergency" mean?

1. (urgent situation) a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation that requires immediate action. 2. (hospital department) the part of a hospital where people go when they need help right away. 3. (replacement person) a person who is called at the last minute to replace someone else in a team or job. 4. (bathroom urgency) a sudden and very strong need to use the toilet.

How do you use "emergency"?

Often used as an attributive noun before other nouns like 'exit', 'room', or 'services'. Commonly referred to as 'the emergency room' or simply 'emergency'. Often used in the context of cricket or other team sports.

emergency

US //ˈimɝdʒənsi// UK //ɪmˈɜːdʒənsi// emer·gen·cy

1 urgent situation (n.)
B1 Intermediate

a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation that requires immediate action.

a situation posing an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment which requires urgent intervention.

Example

You should only call the police in a real emergency, not for minor problems.

Example

The pilot declared an emergency after the left engine failed, requesting an immediate clearance to land at the nearest available airstrip.

Usage

Often used as an attributive noun before other nouns like 'exit', 'room', or 'services'.
- crisis
- exigency
- urgency
2 hospital department (n.)
B1 Intermediate Medicine

the part of a hospital where people go when they need help right away.

the department of a healthcare facility providing immediate treatment for acute illnesses and trauma.

Example

He was rushed to emergency after he fell off his bike and broke his arm.

Example

The hospital's emergency department was overwhelmed following the multi-car pileup on the motorway during the morning commute.

Usage

Commonly referred to as 'the emergency room' or simply 'emergency'.
- ER
- A&E
- casualty

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3 replacement person (n.)
C1 Advanced British English Sport

a person who is called at the last minute to replace someone else in a team or job.

a person brought in at short notice to substitute for a staff member or a player in a sporting context.

Example

The team had to call up an emergency when their main goalkeeper got sick.

Example

The coach named two emergencies for the final match in case any of the starting players failed their late fitness tests.

Usage

Often used in the context of cricket or other team sports.
- substitute
- reserve
- stand in
4 bathroom urgency (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Humorous Informal

a sudden and very strong need to use the toilet.

a sudden, pressing physiological urge to urinate or defecate.

Example

We had to stop the car at a petrol station because the toddler had an emergency.

Example

The long bus journey was made difficult by a passenger who claimed a bathroom emergency every thirty minutes.

Teacher's tip

This is a polite or humorous way to describe a bathroom need without being too graphic.
- urgency

Origin

Borrowed from Medieval Latin emergentia, from Latin emergens, present participle of emergo (“to emerge, arise, come forth”), equivalent to emergent + -cy or emerge + -ency. Doublet of emergence.