# inpatient

/ˈɪnˌpeɪʃənt/ (US) · /ˈɪnpeɪʃənt/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/inpatient
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

a person who stays in a hospital for at least one night to get medical care. You use this word to distinguish them from people who visit for just an hour or two.

For teachers: a patient who is admitted to a hospital or clinic for treatment that requires at least one overnight stay. Often contrasted with 'outpatient'.

## Examples

- The hospital provides meals and a bed for every inpatient.
- After the surgery, he was moved to the surgical ward as an inpatient for three days of observation.
- The facility is designed to accommodate both acute inpatients requiring constant monitoring and outpatients who only visit for brief physical therapy sessions.

## Pitfalls

- Not "he is an in-patient" but "he is an inpatient" — While the hyphenated form exists in older texts, modern medical and general English prefers the closed compound 'inpatient'.

## Usage notes

- Commonly used as a modifier in noun phrases like 'inpatient care' or 'inpatient treatment'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.