Illustration of forceps
plural forceps
: an instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon objects especially for delicate operations (as by jewelers or surgeons)
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
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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
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.
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More from Merriam-Webster on forceps
Nglish: Translation of forceps for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about forceps
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