non-emergency
non-emergency — adjective
1. describes a situation, call, or matter that is not urgent and does not need quic
describes a situation, call, or matter that is not urgent and does not need quick or immediate action from emergency services or staff.
Gabriel called the non-emergency police line to report a noisy party next door.
attributive: non-emergency + line/number
For non-emergency questions about your bill, the hospital asks you to use the website.
common collocation: non-emergency questions / matters
The fire station handles non-emergency requests like checking smoke alarms in the morning.
Ari was told to wait three weeks because the meeting was a non-emergency issue.
- non-urgent
very close in meaning; common in health and admin contexts
- routine
stresses that something is normal and planned, not urgent
文法句型
non-emergency + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used before a noun (attributive), not after 'be'. Common partner nouns: line, number, call, matter, issue, request, situation.
常見錯誤
2. in healthcare, describes a patient, visit, or treatment that does not involve li
in healthcare, describes a patient, visit, or treatment that does not involve life-threatening conditions and can be planned in advance.
Amani booked a non-emergency appointment with her doctor for a sore knee.
medical collocation: non-emergency appointment / visit
The clinic schedules non-emergency surgeries on weekdays between nine and four.
collocation: non-emergency surgery / procedure / care
During the storm, the hospital postponed all non-emergency procedures until Monday.
Élise drove her father to the clinic for non-emergency care after he fell at home.
- emergency
treatment needed at once to save life or prevent serious harm
文法句型
non-emergency + medical noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 by the noun it modifies — sense 2 always pairs with a medical noun (appointment, surgery, procedure, care, patient). Sense 1 covers everyday calls, requests, and matters.
常見錯誤
non-emergency — noun
1. an event or situation — often a minor accident or problem — that poses no seriou
an event or situation — often a minor accident or problem — that poses no serious risk and can be handled without rushing.
Christopher told the operator that his stuck cat was a non-emergency.
common usage: classifying something AS a non-emergency
Reema's broken kitchen tap turned out to be a non-emergency, just a loose washer.
noun phrase: turned out to be a non-emergency
The 911 team trains new staff to sort real emergencies from non-emergencies on every call.
Elena's scraped elbow was clearly a non-emergency, but the nurse cleaned it anyway.
- minor incident
neutral phrase for something small that happened
- routine matter
stresses that the event is regular and not worrying
文法句型
a + non-emergency
用法筆記
Often appears after verbs of classification: 'treat as a non-emergency', 'is a non-emergency', 'turn out to be a non-emergency'. The noun use is less frequent than the adjective use.