: either of the paired ducts that carry away the urine from a kidney to the bladder or cloaca
ureteral adjective
or less commonly ureteric

Examples of ureter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Renal System Complications The renal system—also known as the urinary system—consists of the kidneys, bladder, ureters, and urethra. Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 29 Jan. 2024 Kidney stones can become stuck in your ureters, or the tubes that carry urine from your kidney to your bladder. Dr. Roshini Raj, Health, 4 Jan. 2024 Twenty-three minutes after Locke removed the vessel clamps, human urine began to flow from the pig kidney into its ureter, the tube that shunts urine from the kidney to the bladder. Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 3 Dec. 2023 Watching the dark-yellow fluid drip from the ureter into a clear cup, Locke knew things could easily go south later on. Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 3 Dec. 2023 The upper urinary tract consists of your kidneys and ureters—the tubes that lead to your bladder. Samantha Lauriello, Health, 25 Aug. 2023 Kidney stones consist of solid pieces of material that crystallize in the kidney, ureters or bladder due to genetic and environmental factors. Tara Subramaniam, CNN, 15 June 2023 These adhesions can engulf or bind the bladder, the intestines, the ureter tubes leading to the kidneys and other pelvic organs. Jena Pincott, Scientific American, 1 June 2018 Researchers have long known of a link between E. coli and UTIs, an infection in any part of the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra; the bacteria causes 6 million to 8 million UTIs in the US every year. Kyla Russell, CNN, 23 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ureter.' 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

New Latin, from Greek ourētēr, from ourein to urinate — more at urine

First Known Use

1543, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ureter was in 1543

Dictionary Entries Near ureter

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

ureter

noun
ure·​ter ˈyu̇r-ət-ər How to pronounce ureter (audio)
: a tube that carries urine from a kidney to the bladder or cloaca

Medical Definition

ureter

noun
: either of the paired ducts that carry away urine from a kidney to the bladder or cloaca and that in humans are slender membranous epithelium-lined flat tubes about sixteen inches (41 centimeters) long which open above into the pelvis of a kidney and below into the back part of the same side of the bladder at a very oblique angle

More from Merriam-Webster on ureter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!