WordGarden.iostat
C1Pronunciation
UK
- /stˈæt/
US
- /ˈstæt/
Meanings
Noun
a numerical measure or statistic, especially about performance or results
Adverb
immediately, without delay, especially in medical use
Adjective
ordered or needed immediately, especially in medical care
Beyond the definition
"Stat" can point in two common directions. Most often, it is a short way of saying "statistic" or "statistics," meaning useful numbers that show performance, change, or results. You hear it a lot in sports ("His stats were great this season") and in business or tech ("Send me the stats on website traffic"). But in medical settings, "stat" means something very different: it means "immediately." That sense comes from the Latin statim, meaning "at once," so a "stat" test or order is one that must be done right away.
The word "stat" has two main uses. Most commonly, it is a shortened form of "statistic" or "statistics." In that sense, it refers to numbers or pieces of data that help describe performance, progress, or trends. Sports analysts talk about a player's stats, businesses check sales stats, and website owners look at traffic stats. In all of these cases, the word points to clear, useful numbers that help people understand a situation quickly.
The other main use comes from medicine. In hospitals and emergency care, "stat" means "immediately" and comes from the Latin word statim. If a doctor orders a "stat" lab test, medicine, or scan, it means the action must happen at once. This is not about general data in the usual sense; it is an urgent instruction. You may also hear someone say "I need it stat" outside medicine, using the medical meaning in a broader, informal way to mean "right now."
You may also see the word used in compounds such as "stat sheet" or "stat line," especially in sports, where it still refers to recorded numbers. In some modern speech, the urgent medical sense has spread into everyday language, but the two meanings are still separate: one is about numbers, and the other is about speed. The meaning is usually easy to tell from context.
Examples
- 1
Medical emergency
Call the doctor, stat.
- Usagestat
immediately; used especially in medical emergencies
- 2
Medical order
The nurse put in a stat order for another blood test.
- Phrasea stat order
an order that must be done immediately
- 3
Workplace urgency
The website is down, and the boss wants it fixed stat.
- Usage
stat is also used outside medicine to mean very quickly
- 4
Report data
One stat from the report stood out: online sales had doubled.
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- sports stat
- stat sheet
- vital stats
- stat line
Word family
- stats
- statistical
Explore
- statistics
- analytics
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- stat