What does "clinic" mean?
A medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients.
Clinic
/ˈklɪn.ɪk/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients.
- Grammar: clinic is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: ambulatory clinic, asylum, base hospital, blood bank.
- Useful contrasts: district hospital, national hospital, academic hospital.
- Usage evidence: My father had a heart attack yesterday, but he was lucky to have a clinic close at hand.
How to use "clinic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clinic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "clinic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "clinic" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clinic" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "clinic" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ambulatory clinic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "clinic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A medical facility, such as a hospital, especially one for the treatment and diagnosis of outpatients.
- 2 a healthcare facility for outpatient care wordnet
- 3 A hospital session to diagnose or treat patients. broadly
- 4 meeting for diagnosis of problems and instruction or remedial work in a particular activity wordnet
- 5 A school, or class, in which medicine or surgery is taught by examining and treating patients in the presence of the pupils. obsolete
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a medical establishment run by a group of medical specialists wordnet
- 7 A group practice of several physicians or other health professionals.
- 8 A meeting for the diagnosis of problems, or training, on a particular subject.
"A local community group will be holding a legal clinic where low-income residents can consult a lawyer for free."
- 9 A temporary office arranged on a regular basis to allow politicians to meet their constituents.
- 10 A series of workouts used to build skills of practitioners regardless of team affiliation.
- 11 A bed-ridden person obsolete
- 12 Someone who receives baptism on a sickbed. obsolete
"We are all Clinicks in this point"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"My father had a heart attack yesterday, but he was lucky to have a clinic close at hand."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clinic"?
Common synonyms include: ambulatory clinic, asylum, base hospital, blood bank, charity ward, clinical teaching site.
How do you use "clinic" in a sentence?
My father had a heart attack yesterday, but he was lucky to have a clinic close at hand.
How do you pronounce "clinic"?
Pronounced /ˈklɪn.ɪk/.
Etymology
Borrowed from French clinique, from Late Latin clīnicus (“a bed-ridden person, one baptized on a sick-bed, a physician”), from Ancient Greek κλῑνικός (klīnikós, “pertaining to a bed”), from κλῑ́νη (klī́nē, “bed”), from κλῑ́νω (klī́nō, “to lean, incline”).