circumcise

verb

cir·​cum·​cise ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz 

circumcised; circumcising

transitive verb

: to cut off the foreskin of (a male) or the prepuce or clitoris and labia minora of (a female)

circumciser noun

Examples of circumcise in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Separately in February, after a rare conviction, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawfully circumcising two boys, aged 17 and 18, last year. —Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

They could have been medically circumcised at an early age, but cultural pressures mean that many prefer the traditional way. —ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026

When Alex, my oldest child, was born, a friend who wasn’t Jewish suggested that he not be circumcised. —Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026

The man himself might have argued forcefully that the one didn’t prove the other, that many Muslims in his hometown never bothered to circumcise their children. —Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin circumcisus, past participle of circumcidere, from circum- + caedere to cut

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for circumcise

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

circumcise

verb

cir·​cum·​cise ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz 

circumcised; circumcising

: to cut off the foreskin of

Medical Definition

circumcise

transitive verb

cir·​cum·​cise ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz 

circumcised; circumcising

1

: to cut off the foreskin of (a male) or the prepuce of (a female)

2

: to cut off all or part of the external genitalia and especially the clitoris and labia minora of (a female) see female genital mutilation

circumciser noun