as in inpatient
a person who goes to a doctor's office or hospital for treatment but who does not spend the night there
—often used before another noun
outpatient surgery It was a minor procedure that could be performed at an outpatient clinic.
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Recent Examples of outpatient
Shih noted that states' plans to add more outpatient care could prove beneficial for patients.
—
Aaron Bolton, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026
Jackson Health, Miami-Dade’s public health network, will soon open a new outpatient center in the Kendall area as part of its efforts to bring care closer to patients.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Teenagers with difficulty accessing their outpatient mental health care come to the ED in crisis, with intensifying depression or anxiety.
—Dr. Lauren Palladino, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
For instance, inpatient hospital care may be subject to a different set of cost-sharing rules than outpatient care.
—Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for outpatient
Aaron Bolton, NPR, 26 Mar. 2026
Jackson Health, Miami-Dade’s public health network, will soon open a new outpatient center in the Kendall area as part of its efforts to bring care closer to patients.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
Teenagers with difficulty accessing their outpatient mental health care come to the ED in crisis, with intensifying depression or anxiety.
—Dr. Lauren Palladino, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
For instance, inpatient hospital care may be subject to a different set of cost-sharing rules than outpatient care.
—Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for outpatient
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outpatient
Noun
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Caught on camera During that inpatient stay, hospital staff members observed the child eating multiple full meals by mouth.—
Maya Rosenberg,
NBC news,
5 Apr. 2026
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The hospital shuttered its emergency department on Wednesday, and then worked to transfer its inpatients to other hospitals by the end of the day Friday.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Gabapentin has proved effective at helping some mastectomy patients with stubborn pain, while others have responded to electrodes implanted in their spinal column, according to the Baylor study, published in 2024.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Events like these show how attacks on health technology companies can affect patients, hospitals and pharmacies across the country.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outpatient.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outpatient. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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