tibia

noun

tib·​ia ˈti-bē-ə How to pronounce tibia (audio)
plural tibiae ˈti-bē-ˌē How to pronounce tibia (audio)
-bē-ˌī
also tibias
1
: the inner and usually larger of the two bones of the vertebrate hind or lower limb between the knee and ankle
2
: the fourth joint of the leg of an insect between the femur and tarsus
tibial adjective

Examples of tibia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This season, Benjamin became a larger contributor to Mater Dei’s offense after the team’s leading scorer, Brannon Martinsen, suffered a season-ending broken tibia in late January. Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 9 Mar. 2024 See it In the burial, researchers found long bones, including femurs, tibias, rays and ulnae, placed in their own sector. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Three days later, the mountain lion’s medical team repaired his tibia by using a metal plate and 10 screws to help his bones realign, officials said. Paloma Chavez, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2024 On May 17 against the Dodgers, Gordon fouled a pitch off his right leg and fractured his right tibia. Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2024 The tibia, sometimes called the shinbone, is the frontal of the two bones in the lower leg. Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024 From analyzing growth rings found in the femur and tibia bones, the team concluded Jane was a juvenile T. rex, as a T. rex is full-grown at around 20 years old, according to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 The dinosaur had a healing femur and infected tibia and fibula. The Indianapolis Star, 5 Jan. 2024 Renner was crushed by the seven-ton snowplow while trying to help his nephew free the actor’s car, breaking eight ribs, his right knee, ankle, clavicle and shoulder, and his left tibia and ankle. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tibia.' 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

circa 1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tibia was circa 1706

Dictionary Entries Near tibia

Cite this Entry

“Tibia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tibia. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tibia

noun
tib·​ia ˈtib-ē-ə How to pronounce tibia (audio)
plural tibiae -ē-ˌē How to pronounce tibia (audio)
-ē-ˌī
also tibias
1
: the inner and usually larger of the two bones of the vertebrate leg that is located between the knee and the ankle

called also shinbone

2
: the fourth joint of the leg of an insect between the femur and the tarsus
tibial adjective

Medical Definition

tibia

noun
tib·​ia ˈtib-ē-ə How to pronounce tibia (audio)
plural tibiae -ē-ˌē How to pronounce tibia (audio) -ē-ˌī How to pronounce tibia (audio) also tibias
: the inner and usually larger of the two bones of the leg between the knee and ankle that articulates above with the femur and below with the talus

called also shinbone

More from Merriam-Webster on tibia

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!