cardiac arrest

noun

: temporary or permanent cessation of the heartbeat

Examples of cardiac arrest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Thanks to their actions, their teacher survived, and is one of approximately 350,000 Americans who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year. — Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026 According to police records, another patient, two weeks earlier, was taken to the hospital after going into cardiac arrest during a similar procedure. — Reg Chapman, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Ayala-Uribe, 39, who had fallen ill at the facility, later suffered cardiac arrest at a hospital during a surgery related to a pelvic abscess in September 2025. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 There are more than 350,000 cardiac arrests outside of hospitals each year in the United States. — Anna Zarra Aldrich, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cardiac arrest

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cardiac arrest was in 1873

Rhymes for cardiac arrest

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Browse Nearby Words

cardiac
cardiac arrest
cardiac catheterization
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Cite this Entry

“Cardiac arrest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cardiac%20arrest. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Medical Definition

cardiac arrest

noun
: abrupt temporary or permanent cessation of the heartbeat (as from ventricular fibrillation or asystole)

called also sudden cardiac arrest

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