biopsy

noun

bi·​op·​sy ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 

plural biopsies

: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body

biopsy transitive verb

Did you know?

Matter examined in a biopsy is always taken from a living organism. Most biopsies are done by using a needle to extract tissue or fluid, but some may instead require cutting, and others may amount to nothing more than swabbing the inside of the patient's cheek. Biopsies are best known as a means of detecting cancer, but a doctor may also take a biopsy of heart muscle to investigate suspected heart disease, for example, or perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman to test for disorders in the fetus.

Examples of biopsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Following blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy, the mother of two was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). —Becca Longmire, People.com, 10 Aug. 2025

While some doctors diagnose FFA based on a patient’s history, symptoms, and an exam, many use a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. —Ashley Abramson, Allure, 4 Aug. 2025

With Gable and other heart transplant recipients, Dell Children's is using a new protocol to look for donor DNA in the blood and measure the amount of proteins being expressed, as well as doing traditional heart tissue biopsies. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

For the man's case, doctors confirmed the diagnosis of Whipple's disease with the standard method of an intestinal biopsy to look for foamy-looking macrophages loaded with T. whipplei. —ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary bi- entry 2 + -opsy (as in autopsy)

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

biopsy

noun

bi·​op·​sy ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 

plural biopsies

: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body

Medical Definition

biopsy

1 of 2 noun

bi·​op·​sy ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 

plural biopsies

: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body

biopsy

2 of 2 transitive verb

biopsied; biopsying

: to perform a biopsy on

the intestinal polyps were removed and biopsied