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in utero
adverb or adjective
: in the uterus : before birth
a disease acquired in utero
an in utero diagnosis
Examples of in utero in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, the hospital denied the allegations, stating that the unfortunate infant death occurred in utero before delivery.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 19 Mar. 2024
Other states recognize unborn children as people, but those have been limited to fetuses in utero, or inside a woman’s body.
—Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2024
Images of embryos of different ages reveal how the sharks develop in utero.
—Gareth J. Fraser, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
Even if Jenny lived long enough, cystic fibrosis often causes fertility issues—in many women, thickened cervical mucus is thought to prevent pregnancy, and in almost all men, sperm ducts never develop because of blockages that occur in utero.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2024
The audience is treated (subjected?) to more shots of a baby in utero than might be entirely comfortable, all in service to a subplot involving the sister who will presumably be joining Paul in the next chapter.
—Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024
But few studies have rigorously asked that question for in utero application of such therapies.
—Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024
Events leading up to the Alabama Supreme Court decision can be traced to 2006, when the criminal statute for homicide in the state was changed to include in utero.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024
Loop, a nurse, was especially worried about her son because he was born prematurely and suffered a stroke while in utero.
—Liz Szabo, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in utero.' 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
Latin
First Known Use
1713, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near in utero
Cite this Entry
“In utero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20utero. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.
Medical Definition
in utero
adverb or adjective
: in the uterus : before birth
a disease acquired in utero
an in utero diagnosis
Legal Definition
in utero
adverb or adjective
: in the uterus : before birth
an injury suffered in utero
that her condition could possibly be linked to in utero exposure—Burgess v. Eli Lilly & Co., 995 F.2d 646 (1993)
Etymology
Latin
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