tracheostomy
noun
tra·che·os·to·my
ˌtrā-kē-ˈä-stə-mē 
plural tracheostomies
: the surgical formation of an opening into the trachea through the neck especially to allow the passage of air
Examples of tracheostomy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My team is called in to place a breathing tube in the neck, a tracheostomy, to allow for long-term ventilation.
—
Emily Boss, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
From April through June 2025, fewer than 10% of nursing homes had long-stay residents breathing with the assistance of invasive mechanical ventilators, which deliver air through a tube down the airway or via a tracheostomy, the analysis found.
—Jordan Rau, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
Although his health continued to improve, Gabriel was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and by April 2025, Caroline and Garreth were informed that their son needed a tracheostomy to live.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
And one of Merton’s sons, while in the NICU, started having trouble breathing, so doctors placed a tracheostomy tube into his neck.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tracheostomy
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Emily Boss, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
From April through June 2025, fewer than 10% of nursing homes had long-stay residents breathing with the assistance of invasive mechanical ventilators, which deliver air through a tube down the airway or via a tracheostomy, the analysis found.
—Jordan Rau, NPR, 29 Nov. 2025
Although his health continued to improve, Gabriel was diagnosed with chronic lung disease and by April 2025, Caroline and Garreth were informed that their son needed a tracheostomy to live.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
And one of Merton’s sons, while in the NICU, started having trouble breathing, so doctors placed a tracheostomy tube into his neck.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tracheostomy
Cite this Entry
“Tracheostomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tracheostomy. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
tracheostomy
noun
tra·che·os·to·my
ˌtrā-kē-ˈäst-ə-mē
plural tracheostomies
: the surgical formation of an opening into the trachea through the neck especially to allow the passage of air
also
: the opening itself
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