: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind
specifically
: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo sense 1a
Examples of fetus in a Sentence
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One of Johnson’s timeliest essays, though, is about Alien, Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror about an extraterrestrial creature that forcibly impregnates a member of a commercial hauling ship, killing him when the alien fetus bursts out of his abdomen.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
One infection in a pregnant woman led to the loss of her fetus.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
In one manifestation, Margery gave birth to an ectoplasmic fetus, a version of him reborn.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Exposure is especially dangerous to developing fetuses and children, potentially causing learning difficulties, low IQ and behavioral changes.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
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Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
One infection in a pregnant woman led to the loss of her fetus.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
In one manifestation, Margery gave birth to an ectoplasmic fetus, a version of him reborn.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Exposure is especially dangerous to developing fetuses and children, potentially causing learning difficulties, low IQ and behavioral changes.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetus
Cite this Entry
“Fetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetus. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fetus
noun
fe·tus
ˈfēt-əs 
plural fetuses
: a young animal while in the body of its mother or in the egg especially in the later stages of development
especially
: a developing human being in the uterus from usually two months after pregnancy occurs to birth compare embryo sense 1
Medical Definition
fetus
noun
fe·tus
variants
or chiefly British foetus
plural fetuses or chiefly British foetuses or foeti
ˈfēt-ˌī
: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind
specifically
: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo
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