biopsy

noun

bi·​op·​sy ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 

plural biopsies

: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body

biopsy transitive verb

Did you know?

Matter examined in a biopsy is always taken from a living organism. Most biopsies are done by using a needle to extract tissue or fluid, but some may instead require cutting, and others may amount to nothing more than swabbing the inside of the patient's cheek. Biopsies are best known as a means of detecting cancer, but a doctor may also take a biopsy of heart muscle to investigate suspected heart disease, for example, or perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman to test for disorders in the fetus.

Examples of biopsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Every biopsy result or slide is just a slice (sometimes literally) of a person just like me. — David Elkowitz, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026

In patients with post-herpetic neuralgia, while the shingles rash has cleared with seemingly normal-looking skin, skin biopsies show a puzzling reduction in sensory nerve fibers in the painful areas. — Andrew Bubak, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026

Walker underwent a biopsy and in early July 2018, she was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

That’s when doctors found something suspicious after her annual mammogram and asked her to come back for a sonogram — then a biopsy, and finally an MRI. — Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary bi- entry 2 + -opsy (as in autopsy)

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

biopsy

noun

bi·​op·​sy ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 

plural biopsies

: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body

Medical Definition

biopsy

1 of 2 noun

bi·​op·​sy ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 

plural biopsies

: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body

biopsy

2 of 2 transitive verb

biopsied; biopsying

: to perform a biopsy on

the intestinal polyps were removed and biopsied