ablation

noun

ab·​la·​tion a-ˈblā-shən 

: the process of ablating: such as

a

: surgical removal

b

: loss of a part (such as ice from a glacier or the outside of a nose cone) by melting or vaporization

Examples of ablation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gamma knife ablation, meanwhile, uses radiation beams to destroy tissue. —Frieda Klotz, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025

The first ablation did not cause any acute complications. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Nail bed ablation: After removing part of the toenail or the whole nail, the surgeon will use a technique to prevent the nail from growing back. —Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 20 Mar. 2025

Success rates for ablation, where only effects of the fine-tuning procedure are removed, were 44 percent (1.5 Flash) and 61 percent (1.0 Pro). —ArsTechnica, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ablacioun "removal," borrowed from Late Latin ablātiōn-, ablātiō, from Latin ablā-, suppletive stem of auferre "to carry away, remove" + -tiōn-, tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at ablate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ablation

• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation
• conflation

Kids Definition

ablation

noun

ab·​la·​tion a-ˈblā-shən 

: the process of ablating: as

a

: surgical cutting and removal

b

: removal of a part (as the outside of a nose cone) by melting or vaporization

Medical Definition

ablation

noun

ab·​la·​tion a-ˈblā-shən 

: the process of ablating

especially : surgical removal