incision

noun

in·​ci·​sion in-ˈsi-zhən 

1

a

: cut, gash

specifically : a wound made especially in surgery by incising the body

b

: a marginal notch (as in a leaf)

2

: an act of incising something

a surgeon's skillful incision

3

: the quality or state of being incisive

Synonyms of incision

• slit
• tear

Examples of incision in a Sentence

the surgeon made a thin incision with the scalpel

Recent Examples on the Web

The doctor also made a cross incision at the site of the bite. —Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026

Our destination was the Mississippi Canyon—an incision, now underwater, that formed roughly thirty thousand years ago, when the Mississippi flowed more than a hundred kilometres past its modern-day delta. —Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026

In the operating room, her surgeon made a long incision down her abdomen, cut out the fist-size pouch of her stomach, and stitched her esophagus to her small intestine. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026

Instruments fit through small incisions, and a surgeon controls the robot throughout. —Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for incision

• abscission
• collision
• decision
• derision
• division
• elision
• envision
• excision
• misprision
• precision
• prevision
• provision

Kids Definition

incision

noun

in·​ci·​sion in-ˈsizh-ən 

1

: a cut or gash made in something

especially : a cut made into the body during surgery

removed the diseased appendix through a small incision

2

: an act of cutting into something

watched the surgeon's skillful incision

Medical Definition

incision

noun

in·​ci·​sion in-ˈsizh-ən 

1

: a cut or wound of body tissue made especially in surgery

2

: an act of incising something

the surgeon's incision of the tissues