A clinic is a place where people go to receive medical care, usually for routine checkups, minor illnesses, or specific health concerns. Unlike a hospital, which handles emergencies and serious conditions requiring overnight stays, a clinic focuses on outpatient care: you visit, see a doctor or nurse, and go home the same day.

You might visit a clinic when you need a physical exam for sports, have a bad cough that won't go away, or need to get vaccinations. Some clinics specialize in particular areas: a dental clinic treats teeth, an eye clinic checks vision, and a sports medicine clinic helps athletes recover from injuries.

The word also has a completely different meaning in sports and music. When an experienced player or musician runs a clinic, they're teaching others their skills through demonstration and instruction. A basketball player might host a clinic showing young players how to improve their shooting technique. You might also hear someone say a team “put on a clinic” when they played so skillfully it looked like a teaching demonstration: “The chess champion put on a clinic, winning every game effortlessly.”