plural femurs or femora
ˈfe-mə-rə 
ˈfem-rə
1
: the proximal bone of the hind or lower limb that extends from the hip to the knee
called also thigh bone
2
: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body
Examples of femur in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jensen’s partner suffered two broken femurs and a broken hand as well additional damage to his lower body and stomach, Jensen said.
—
Pj Green
january 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2026
Among them, a hominin femur that was excavated from the cave bears teeth marks.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
He was shot by a Taliban sniper, sustaining a gunshot wound to his left leg that shattered his femur and another to his right arm that caused severe trauma to his bicep.
—Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Two decades later, studies on other parts of that discovery—its forearms, or ulnae, and thigh bone, or femur—were reported.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for femur
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Pj Green
january 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2026
Among them, a hominin femur that was excavated from the cave bears teeth marks.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
He was shot by a Taliban sniper, sustaining a gunshot wound to his left leg that shattered his femur and another to his right arm that caused severe trauma to his bicep.
—Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Two decades later, studies on other parts of that discovery—its forearms, or ulnae, and thigh bone, or femur—were reported.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for femur
Cite this Entry
“Femur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/femur. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
femur
noun
fe·mur
ˈfē-mər
plural femurs or femora
ˈfem-(ə-)rə
1
: the long bone of the hind or lower limb extending from the hip to the knee
called also thighbone
2
: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body
femoral
adjective
ˈfem-(ə-)rəl
Medical Definition
femur
noun
fe·mur
ˈfē-mər
plural femurs or femora
ˈfem-(ə-)rə
1
: the proximal bone of the hind or lower limb that is the longest and largest bone in the human body, extends from the hip to the knee, articulates above with the acetabulum by a rounded head connected with the shaft of the bone by an oblique neck bearing a pair of trochanters for the attachment of muscles, and articulates with the tibia below by a pair of condyles
called also thigh bone
2
: the segment of an insect's leg that is third from the body
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