: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind
specifically
: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo sense 1a
Examples of fetus in a Sentence
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Pastor Paul Vargas, also of the Phoenix Dream Center, said his organization’s mission runs in both directions — helping older adults find a second chance, as much as fetuses who never got a first chance.
—
Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 28 Feb. 2026
And inside this hollow ball of cells, reshaped by fracture, a fetus will grow.
—Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026
Eskenazi says studies that investigate groups, such as pregnant women and fetuses, who may be most vulnerable to glyphosate exposure and research into whether glyphosate might affect human fertility and reproduction would be particularly useful.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
Many of those issues can be life-threatening to a fetus.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fetus
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Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 28 Feb. 2026
And inside this hollow ball of cells, reshaped by fracture, a fetus will grow.
—Clare Watson, Quanta Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026
Eskenazi says studies that investigate groups, such as pregnant women and fetuses, who may be most vulnerable to glyphosate exposure and research into whether glyphosate might affect human fertility and reproduction would be particularly useful.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
Many of those issues can be life-threatening to a fetus.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fetus
Cite this Entry
“Fetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetus. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fetus
noun
fe·tus
ˈfēt-əs 
plural fetuses
: a young animal while in the body of its mother or in the egg especially in the later stages of development
especially
: a developing human being in the uterus from usually two months after pregnancy occurs to birth compare embryo sense 1
Medical Definition
fetus
noun
fe·tus
variants
or chiefly British foetus
plural fetuses or chiefly British foetuses or foeti
ˈfēt-ˌī
: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind
specifically
: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo
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