stretcher

/ˈstrɛtʃər/

/ˈstrɛtʃə/

Other forms: stretchers

In a hospital, a stretcher is a device used to carry a person who must lie flat and can't move on their own. It takes two strong people to carry a patient on a stretcher.

Although the words are sometimes used interchangeably, a stretcher is different from a gurney, which is fitted with wheels and can be moved by a single person. Stretchers are more portable and tend to be used in emergency situations, especially on battlefields and in wilderness search-and-rescue operations. When an artist, (rather than a doctor or ambulance driver) uses the word stretcher, they generally mean "wooden frame on which a canvas is stretched for painting."

Definitions of stretcher

1. noun

   a litter for transporting people who are ill or wounded or dead; usually consists of a sheet of canvas stretched between two poles
   types:

   gurney

   a metal stretcher with wheels

   type of:

   litter

   conveyance consisting of a chair or bed carried on two poles by bearers
2. noun

   a wooden framework on which canvas is stretched and fixed for oil painting
   type of:

   framework

   a structure supporting or containing something
3. noun

   a mechanical device used to make something larger (as shoes or gloves) by stretching it
   type of:

   mechanical device

   mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles
4. noun

   a stone that forms the top of wall or building
   synonyms: capstone, copestone, coping stone

   type of:

   stone

   building material consisting of a piece of rock hewn in a definite shape for a special purpose