am·bu·la·to·ry
ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 
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
plural ambulatories
: a sheltered place (as in a cloister or church) for walking
Synonyms
Examples of ambulatory in a Sentence
Adjective
ambulatory theatrical companies that brought live theater to small towns across America
Recent Examples on the Web
Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
This situation will change following enactment of the No Pain Act, at least in the ambulatory surgical and hospital outpatient settings.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for ambulatory 
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Adjective
The No Pain Act provisions are designed to expand access to non-opioid treatment for pain in ambulatory surgical centers and hospital outpatient departments.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
This situation will change following enactment of the No Pain Act, at least in the ambulatory surgical and hospital outpatient settings.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for ambulatory
Articles Related to ambulatory
Dictionary Entries Near ambulatory
Cite this Entry
“Ambulatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambulatory. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ambulatory
adjective
am·bu·la·to·ry
ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr-
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
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
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
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
Jane E. Brody, The New York Times
also
: obtained by ambulatory monitoring
24-hour ambulatory blood pressure
Legal Definition
ambulatory
adjective
am·bu·la·to·ry
ˈam-byə-lə-ˌtōr-ē
: 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
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