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

Care that might fall into this category could be a kidney stone removal, a cancer biopsy, or a cardiac valve replacement, according to a study published this year in The New England Journal of Medicine. —Michelle Andrews, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025

Following the biopsy, she was diagnosed with triple-positive aggressive breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. —Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025

If the tumor is inaccessible, doctors will perform a liquid biopsy via a blood test. —Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 24 Sep. 2025

When my first biopsy came back as noncancerous, everyone was confused. —Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025

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