epidural

adjective

epi·du·ral | \ ˌe-pi-ˈd(y)u̇r-əl

Definition of epidural

(Entry 1 of 2)

: situated upon or administered or placed outside the dura mater epidural anesthesia an epidural abscess

epidural

noun

Definition of epidural (Entry 2 of 2)

: an injection of a local anesthetic into the space outside the dura mater of the spinal cord in the lower back region to produce loss of sensation especially in the abdomen or pelvic region

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Examples of epidural in a Sentence

Noun

Many women undergoing childbirth are given epidurals.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The only realistic potential abusers of Dsuvia are medical personnel, who have had access to liquid sufentanil from hospital pharmacies since the drug was approved in 1984 for intravenous and epidural use. — Sally Satel, WSJ, "The FDA Was Wise to Approve a New Opioid," 7 Nov. 2018 The basis of the technique, called epidural electrical stimulation (EES), is not new at all—it’s been investigated as a potential treatment for paralysis for decades, with a lot of success in animals. — Cathleen O'grady, Ars Technica, "Spinal-cord stimulation allows three paralyzed men to walk with assistance," 31 Oct. 2018 Which is precisely why surgeons are coming up with alternatives, like the local protocol used by Casas, and the epidural anesthesia Lorenc often administers to mommy makeover patients. — Jolene Edgar, Allure, "Life in Plastic: A Complete Guide to the "Mommy Makeover"," 16 July 2018 Before going forward with an epidural, her doctor offered her a VR headset. — Meeri Kim, Washington Post, "Virtual reality is being used by hospitals to help people cope with pain," 9 June 2018 Over the next two-and-a-half hours, surgeons performed a craniotomy to remove the blood buildup (epidural hematoma) from Jaden's brain. — Maria Carter, Woman's Day, "This Mom Is Speaking Out About Why Your Kid Should NEVER Ride a Bike Without a Helmet," 28 Apr. 2016 Before going forward with an epidural, her doctor offered her a VR headset. — Meeri Kim, Washington Post, "Virtual reality is being used by hospitals to help people cope with pain," 9 June 2018 Before going forward with an epidural, her doctor offered her a VR headset. — Meeri Kim, Washington Post, "Virtual reality is being used by hospitals to help people cope with pain," 9 June 2018 At the hospital, after an epidural, Jenn’s labor stalled. — Anndee Hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Jennifer and Mike Ellis of Flourtown," 6 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

After 90 minutes of what felt like fruitless effort, my OB called a time out and cranked the epidural back up. — Frances F. Denny, Harper's BAZAAR, "What People Don’t Tell You About Childbirth: The Realities of Vaginal Tearing," 16 July 2018 Fentanyl has long been used in prescription pain patches and epidurals. — Catherine Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "California orders opioid overdose antidote naloxone available without prescription," 8 June 2018 Fentanyl has long been used in legal drugs, such as in prescription pain patches and epidurals. — Catherine Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "Deaths from illegal opioid fentanyl surge to record in California," 24 May 2018 In most cases, epidurals successfully reduce pain during labor. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Chrissy Teigen Wants to Know If She Can Get a Bikini Wax During Her Epidural," 15 May 2018 The idea that epidurals can prolong labor has been around for a while. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Does an Epidural Actually Slow Down Labor?," 23 Oct. 2017 Doctors stopped epidurals during the second stage of labor in 38 cases when delivery wasn’t progressing quickly enough. — Washington Post, "Epidurals may not make labor last longer," 22 Oct. 2017 Feeling their pain A series of deaths in Japan is fueling misinformation about the safety of epidurals. — Claire Zillman, Fortune, "Fighting Sexism with Fake Male Co-Founder, Melania’s Shoe Disaster, and Michelle Bachelet’s Mission," 30 Aug. 2017 Camann, who teaches at Harvard Medical School, said the combined spinal epidural is used for all C-sections, traditional and gentle, performed in the United States. — Susan Scutti, CNN, "'Gentle' C-sections are growing in popularity," 13 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidural.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.