Adjacent Words

emergency definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action; "he never knew what to do in an emergency" [syn: emergency, exigency, pinch]
2: a state in which martial law applies; "the governor declared a state of emergency"
3: a brake operated by hand; usually operates by mechanical linkage [syn: hand brake, emergency, emergency brake, parking brake]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -cies) Usage: often attributive Date: circa 1631 1. an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action 2. an urgent need for assistance or relief <the governor declared a state of emergency after the flood> Synonyms: see juncture

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a sudden state of danger, conflict, etc., requiring immediate action. 2 a a medical condition requiring immediate treatment. b a patient with such a condition. 3 (attrib.) characterized by or for use in an emergency. 4 Austral. Sport a reserve player. Phrases and idioms: state of emergency a condition of danger or disaster affecting a country, esp. with normal constitutional procedures suspended. Etymology: med.L emergentia (as EMERGE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Emergency E*mer"gen*cy, n.; pl. Emergencies. [See Emergence.] 1. Sudden or unexpected appearance; an unforeseen occurrence; a sudden occasion. Most our rarities have been found out by casual emergency. --Glanvill. 2. An unforeseen occurrence or combination of circumstances which calls for immediate action or remedy; pressing necessity; exigency. To whom she might her doubts propose, On all emergencies that rose. --Swift. A safe counselor in most difficult emergencies. --Brougham. Syn: Crisis; conjuncture; exigency; pinch; strait; necessity.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(emergencies) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. An emergency is an unexpected and difficult or dangerous situation, especially an accident, which happens suddenly and which requires quick action to deal with it. He deals with emergencies promptly... The hospital will cater only for emergencies. = crisis N-COUNT 2. An emergency action is one that is done or arranged quickly and not in the normal way, because an emergency has occurred. The Prime Minister has called an emergency meeting of parliament... She made an emergency appointment. ADJ: ADJ n 3. Emergency equipment or supplies are those intended for use in an emergency. The plane is carrying emergency supplies for refugees... They escaped through an emergency exit and called the police. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Exigency, urgency, necessity, crisis, pinch, pass, push, strait, difficulty, extremity, pressing necessity. 2. Juncture, conjuncture, crisis, pass, turn of events. 3. Unforeseen occasion, sudden or unexpected occurrence.

Moby Thesaurus

X ray, blood bank, breakers ahead, cardhouse, cause for alarm, charity ward, climacteric, clinic, clutch, consultation room, contingency, convergence of events, crisis, critical juncture, critical point, crossroads, crucial period, crunch, danger, dangerous ground, delivery room, difficulty, dispensary, endangerment, examining room, exigency, extremity, fever ward, gaping chasm, gathering clouds, hazard, high pressure, hinge, hospital room, house of cards, imperativeness, imperilment, intensive care, isolation, jeopardy, labor room, laboratory, maternity ward, menace, nursery, operating room, pass, peril, pharmacy, pinch, plight, predicament, press, pressure, prison ward, private room, push, quicksand, recovery room, risk, rocks ahead, rub, semi-private room, storm clouds, strait, stress, surgery, tension, therapy, thin ice, threat, treatment room, turn, turn of events, turning, turning point, urgency, ward