incision

noun

in·​ci·​sion in-ˈsi-zhən 

1

a

: cut, gash

specifically : a wound made especially in surgery by incising the body

b

: a marginal notch (as in a leaf)

2

: an act of incising something

a surgeon's skillful incision

3

: the quality or state of being incisive

Synonyms of incision

• slit
• tear

Examples of incision in a Sentence

the surgeon made a thin incision with the scalpel

Recent Examples on the Web

There isn’t a ton of action in the movie, but boy does Eliza make every incision count. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

Chua would put it to sleep with isoflurane, intubate it, cover its eyes to keep them from drying out, make a small incision in its abdomen to insert a device that would log heart rate and body temperature, and then sew the bird up. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

The device allows the sound waves to penetrate the skull without so much as a needle poke or incision and without causing any damage to surrounding bone or tissue in the process. — Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2026

Doctors made long surgical incisions along his left leg, from his hip to his ankle, and along his inner calf and thigh. — Diane Herbst, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for incision

• abscission
• collision
• decision
• derision
• division
• elision
• envision
• excision
• misprision
• precision
• prevision
• provision

Kids Definition

incision

noun

in·​ci·​sion in-ˈsizh-ən 

1

: a cut or gash made in something

especially : a cut made into the body during surgery

removed the diseased appendix through a small incision

2

: an act of cutting into something

watched the surgeon's skillful incision

Medical Definition

incision

noun

in·​ci·​sion in-ˈsizh-ən 

1

: a cut or wound of body tissue made especially in surgery

2

: an act of incising something

the surgeon's incision of the tissues