: 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
Recent Examples on the Web
The team carefully monitors the fetus's heart rate, blood pressure and other vital signs.
—
Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
There have been cases in recent years of women with troubled pregnancies who died after doctors prioritized keeping the fetuses alive.
—Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024
At 18 weeks pregnant, the couple said they were told the fetus had multiple anomalies that were incompatible with life.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
The court’s decision Alabama Supreme Court cases in 2011 and 2012 had already held that the state’s wrongful death law allows expectant parents to bring a claim following a death at any stage of the embryo’s or fetus’s development.
—Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
The phthalates can in turn get into the bloodstream and travel into the placenta, which may cause negative outcomes for both the fetus and the pregnant person.1
The idea that phthalates can cause harm isn’t new.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
Remember that every pregnancy varies, and your ultrasound could look different depending on your baby's stage of development, the weight of the birthing parent, the position of the fetus, the skill of the ultrasound technician, and more.
—Robin Elise Weiss, Phd, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
About 24 hours later, the patient typically takes a four-pill dose of misoprostol to prompt contractions that expel the embryo or fetus.
—Caroline Kitchener, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
The bill would now require medical facilities to provide mothers and fetuses in that position with perinatal palliative care or refer them to those services.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
There have been cases in recent years of women with troubled pregnancies who died after doctors prioritized keeping the fetuses alive.
—Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024
At 18 weeks pregnant, the couple said they were told the fetus had multiple anomalies that were incompatible with life.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
The court’s decision Alabama Supreme Court cases in 2011 and 2012 had already held that the state’s wrongful death law allows expectant parents to bring a claim following a death at any stage of the embryo’s or fetus’s development.
—Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024
The phthalates can in turn get into the bloodstream and travel into the placenta, which may cause negative outcomes for both the fetus and the pregnant person.1
The idea that phthalates can cause harm isn’t new.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
Remember that every pregnancy varies, and your ultrasound could look different depending on your baby's stage of development, the weight of the birthing parent, the position of the fetus, the skill of the ultrasound technician, and more.
—Robin Elise Weiss, Phd, Parents, 29 Mar. 2024
About 24 hours later, the patient typically takes a four-pill dose of misoprostol to prompt contractions that expel the embryo or fetus.
—Caroline Kitchener, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
The bill would now require medical facilities to provide mothers and fetuses in that position with perinatal palliative care or refer them to those services.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fetus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fetus
Cite this Entry
“Fetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetus. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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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