microsurgery

noun

mi·​cro·​sur·​gery ˌmī-krō-ˈsərj-rē 

-ˈsər-jə-

: minute dissection or manipulation (as by a micromanipulator or laser beam) of living structures or tissue

microsurgical

ˌmī-krō-ˈsər-ji-kəl 

adjective

Examples of microsurgery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bypass is done through microsurgery using instruments as thin as a strand of hair, Wo said. — Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2025

That would result in surgeons not getting paid for this specialized surgery, and these surgeons would be less likely to offer the complex eight-hour microsurgery. — Paige Stables, Allure, 22 Nov. 2023

That accomplishment inspired Levin's lab to use microsurgery to remove live skin stem cells from an African clawed frog and nudge them together in water. — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024

The days of using a paper clip to perform microsurgery to extract a tiny SIM card from a little tray in your iPhone may be coming to an end. — Catherine Thorbecke, CNN, 9 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for microsurgery

• cryosurgery
• neurosurgery
• psychosurgery
• perjury
• surgery
• radiosurgery

Medical Definition

microsurgery

noun

mi·​cro·​sur·​gery ˌmī-krō-ˈsərj-(ə-)rē 

plural microsurgeries

: minute dissection or manipulation (as by a micromanipulator or laser beam) of living structures (as cells or tissues) for surgical or experimental purposes

microsurgical

-ˈsər-ji-kəl 

adjective

microsurgically

-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb