surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsərj-rē How to pronounce surgery (audio)
ˈsər-jə-
plural surgeries
1
: a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures
2
: alterations made as if by surgery
literary surgery
3
a
British : a physician's or dentist's office
b
: a room or area where surgery is performed
4
a
: the work done by a surgeon
b

Examples of surgery in a Sentence

He's a specialist in brain surgery. The doctor has recommended surgery. He has recently undergone surgery on his shoulder. a doctor who has performed many surgeries The patient was taken directly to surgery.
Recent Examples on the Web On Wednesday, an update noted that Marlene has had three surgeries since the attack. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 Actress Olivia Munn announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and has undergone multiple surgeries, including a double mastectomy over the past year. Kristina Behr, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024 In the 10 months since her diagnosis, Munn said she's had four surgeries, including a double mastectomy. Korin Miller, Health, 14 Mar. 2024 In the meantime, Royce Lewis recovered from his knee surgery, returned to the major-league roster and staked his claim to third base. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2024 The Newsroom actress, 43, revealed in a Wednesday Instagram post that she was diagnosed with Luminal B breast cancer in 2023 and has since undergone several surgeries, including a double mastectomy. EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Over the weekend, the royal family released the first image of Middleton since her abdominal surgery in January. Reece Rogers, WIRED, 12 Mar. 2024 Coming back from offseason hip surgery, Cobb wanted to face live batters, typically the final step before getting into game action. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Mullen underwent neck surgery prior to U2's run of Las Vegas shows, preventing him from performing with his bandmates night after night. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surgery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English surgerie, from Anglo-French cirurgerie, surgerie, from Latin chirurgia, from Greek cheirourgia, from cheirourgos surgeon, from cheirourgos doing by hand, from cheir hand + ergon work — more at chir-, work

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of surgery was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near surgery

Cite this Entry

“Surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surgery. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

surgery

noun
sur·​gery ˈsərj-(ə-)rē How to pronounce surgery (audio)
plural surgeries
1
: medical science concerned with the correction of physical defects, the repair and healing of injuries, and the treatment of diseased conditions especially by operations
2
a
: the work done by a surgeon
3
: a room or area where surgery is performed
Etymology

Middle English surgerie "surgery," from early French cirurgerie, surgerie (same meaning), from Latin chirurgia (same meaning), derived from Greek cheirourgos "surgeon," from cheirourgos "doing by hand," from cheir "hand" and ergon "work"

Medical Definition

surgery

noun
sur·​gery ˈsərj-(ə-)rē How to pronounce surgery (audio)
plural surgeries
1
: a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures
2
a
British : a physician's or dentist's office
b
: a room or area where surgery is performed
3
a
: the work done by a surgeon
b

More from Merriam-Webster on surgery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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