cir·cum·cise
ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz 
circumcised; circumcising
: to cut off the foreskin of (a male) or the prepuce or clitoris and labia minora of (a female)
circumciser
noun
cir·cum·cis·er
variants
or circumcisor
ˈsər-kəm-ˌsī-zər
plural -s
: one that circumcises
Examples of circumcise in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Separately in February, after a rare conviction, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawfully circumcising two boys, aged 17 and 18, last year.
—Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
They could have been medically circumcised at an early age, but cultural pressures mean that many prefer the traditional way.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
The man himself might have argued forcefully that the one didn’t prove the other, that many Muslims in his hometown never bothered to circumcise their children.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
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Verb
After mutual suspicion, the two arrived at a reluctant truce in which Paul was free to bring non-Jews into the Jesus movement, emancipating them from Jewish ritual, while the original Jerusalem circle continued to keep kosher, circumcise, and all the rest.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Separately in February, after a rare conviction, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawfully circumcising two boys, aged 17 and 18, last year.
—Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
They could have been medically circumcised at an early age, but cultural pressures mean that many prefer the traditional way.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
The man himself might have argued forcefully that the one didn’t prove the other, that many Muslims in his hometown never bothered to circumcise their children.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for circumcise
Cite this Entry
“Circumcise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circumcise. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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Medical Definition
circumcise
transitive verb
cir·cum·cise
ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz
circumcised; circumcising
1
: to cut off the foreskin of (a male) or the prepuce of (a female)
2
: to cut off all or part of the external genitalia and especially the clitoris and labia minora of (a female) see female genital mutilation
circumciser
noun
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