: 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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The Covid-19 vaccines can also protect the newborn—one of the highest-risk groups for hospitalization—since taking a dose during pregnancy confers maternal antibodies to the fetus, Faust says.
—
Shreyas Teegala, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
While previous research has shown these synthetic compounds may affect a rapidly developing fetus, the new study was able to investigate impacts on blood pressure from early childhood through adolescence.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 12 June 2025
An ultrasound reportedly showed the fetus stopped breathing 33 weeks into pregnancy, but its parents held out hope.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
In the delivery process, this in-between state is referred to as the transition phase, marking the beginning of the fetus’s expulsion from the womb and descent into the birth canal.
—Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetus
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Shreyas Teegala, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 June 2025
While previous research has shown these synthetic compounds may affect a rapidly developing fetus, the new study was able to investigate impacts on blood pressure from early childhood through adolescence.
—Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 12 June 2025
An ultrasound reportedly showed the fetus stopped breathing 33 weeks into pregnancy, but its parents held out hope.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
In the delivery process, this in-between state is referred to as the transition phase, marking the beginning of the fetus’s expulsion from the womb and descent into the birth canal.
—Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetus
Cite this Entry
“Fetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetus. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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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