forceps

noun

for·​ceps ˈfȯr-səps How to pronounce forceps (audio)
-ˌseps
plural forceps
: an instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon objects especially for delicate operations (as by jewelers or surgeons)
forcepslike adjective

Illustration of forceps

Illustration of forceps

Examples of forceps in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The real culprit seems to have been a village vaccinator who dropped a forceps and failed to properly disinfect it. Julia M. Klein, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 And then there’s the matter of birth: amongst my friends, there have been emergency caesareans, prematurely ruptured membranes, forceps, episiotomies, and inductions, and that’s just the start of it. Faye Keegan, Vogue, 24 June 2023 Surgical set Critical items would have included an amputation saw, tourniquet, trephines (for slicing into the skull), bone forceps, a large amputation knife, several smaller knives and suture needles. Will McCarthy, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023 Speculums, catheters, painful injections, probes, forceps, follicles, egg counts and egg retrievals take over Jackson’s life. Lisa Page, Washington Post, 13 June 2023 There’s the fiery red-orange glow of the iris, the sudden onrush of liquid that bathes and (one hopes) soothes, and finally that last little tug of the forceps as — ta-da! — the new lens snaps into place with satisfying, ship-in-a-bottle precision. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023 Inspectors in September observed workers not properly disinfecting their gloves and allowing sterile forceps to touch potentially contaminated surfaces, the report said. Joseph Walker, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2020 But for the most part these robots have been, in essence, just very fancy versions of the scalpels and forceps surgeons have been using for centuries — incredibly sophisticated, granted, and capable of operating with incredible precision, but still tools in the surgeon’s hands. James Gaines, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022 Tools of the Trade In addition to forceps, needles, and scalpels, morticians use a variety of specialized tools to prepare the dead. Eleanor Cummins, Popular Mechanics, 22 Feb. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin, tongs, perhaps from formus warm + capere to take — more at therm, heave entry 1

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forceps was in 1634

Dictionary Entries Near forceps

Cite this Entry

“Forceps.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forceps. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

forceps

noun
for·​ceps ˈfȯr-səps How to pronounce forceps (audio)
-ˌseps
plural forceps
: a tool for grasping or holding objects especially in delicate operations (as by a jeweler or surgeon)
forcepslike adjective

Medical Definition

forceps

noun
for·​ceps ˈfȯr-səps How to pronounce forceps (audio) -ˌseps How to pronounce forceps (audio)
plural forceps
: an instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon objects especially for delicate operations (as by surgeons, obstetricians, or dentists)

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