gurney

American  

[gur-nee] / ˈgɜr ni /

noun

plural

gurneys

1. a flat, padded table or stretcher with legs and wheels, for transporting patients or bodies.

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Gurney ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɜːnɪ /

noun

1. Ivor ( Bertie ). 1890–1937, British poet and composer, noted esp for his songs and his poems of World War I

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gurney ² British  

/ ˈɡɜːnɪ /

noun

1. a wheeled stretcher for transporting hospital patients

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Etymology

Origin of gurney

First recorded in 1935–40; of uncertain origin; perhaps after J. Theodore Gurney, American inventor, who invented a two-wheeled horse-drawn cab in 1883

Example Sentences

Kahlo depicts two sides of herself in the masterpiece—one lying bloody on a gurney after a surgery and the other sitting up, triumphant in a red, traditional dress.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Styles channels Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby, marching toward an incoming patient on a gurney as she’s pushed through the ER hallway.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

It’s said that he was dictating more criticism on the gurney that carried him to his final operation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

She gave birth incarcerated, handcuffed to a gurney.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2024

Julie laughs, and my dad helps me get off the gurney and into the wheelchair.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• rickshaw
• truck
• wagon