engraft

verb

en·​graft in-ˈgraft How to pronounce engraft (audio)
en-
engrafted; engrafting; engrafts

transitive verb

1
: to join or fasten as if by grafting
2
3

intransitive verb

: to become grafted and begin functioning normally
the transplanted bone marrow engrafted successfully
engraftment noun

Examples of engraft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Before getting the altered cells infused, a patient must undergo chemotherapy to clear out space in their bone marrow for the new cells to engraft. Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Aug. 2022 Dopamine neurons derived from human ES cells efficiently engraft in animal models of Parkinson’s disease. Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2011 Traditionally, such a donor must have a close enough human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, match to maximize the likelihood that the stem cell transplant will engraft well. NBC News, 16 Feb. 2022 There were now tests to help predict compatibility and to improve the chances that allogeneic marrow cells would engraft. Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, 15 July 2019 Without a sufficient dose of cells, transplants are at a high risk of failing or of taking so long to engraft in the recipient’s bone marrow that patients face lengthy exposure to life-threatening infections. Ron Winslow, WSJ, 28 May 2018 Here, a blatant disunity exists between matters engrafted at the last minute on to S.B. 331. Kaylee Remington, cleveland.com, 3 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'engraft.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of engraft was in 1549

Dictionary Entries Near engraft

Cite this Entry

“Engraft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engraft. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Medical Definition

engraft

transitive verb
en·​graft in-ˈgraft How to pronounce engraft (audio)
: graft
engrafted embryonic gill tissue into the back
engraftment noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!