(chiefly, UK, Commonwealth) The accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital.
(chiefly, UK, Commonwealth) The accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital.
"A&E" means the accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"A&E" is informal English meaning the accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital. It is mainly heard in British English (and Irish English). A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "the accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "A&E" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
"A&E" means the accident and emergency (casualty) department of a hospital. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with A.
(chiefly, British, NZ) The department of a hospital that deals with injuries and medical emergencies.
(British) (also casualty ward) the department of a hospital providing immediate treatment for emergency cases.
(Canada, slang, medicine) The emergency department of a hospital.
(North America, Philippines, healthcare) A department of a hospital where seriously ill or injured patients, often with life-threatening conditions that require urgent or immediate treatment, are brought in, usually by ambulance.
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(US) a clinic, often in a shopping mall, offering immediate outpatient treatment for minor ailments and injuries.