kidney

kid·ney | \ ˈkid-nē

plural kidneys

Definition of kidney

1a : one of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped organs about 4¹/₂ inches (11¹/₂ centimeters) long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into a main cavity whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder

b : any of various excretory organs of invertebrate animals

2 : the kidney of an animal eaten as food

3 : sort or kind especially with regard to temperament a nice helpful guy, of a different kidney entirely from the … Secret Police— Paula Lecler

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Examples of kidney in a Sentence

a patient with a damaged kidney her new boyfriend is of a different kidney than what she usually dates

Recent Examples on the Web His heart was struggling to function on its own, and his kidneys began to fail. — Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, "New heart pump aids San Antonio patients after heart attacks," 3 Dec. 2019 The researchers said this level could be harmful, particularly to elderly patients who have problems with their kidneys. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Researchers find dangerous, FDA-rejected drug in supplements—by reading labels," 26 Nov. 2019 These incredibly painful crystals form in your kidneys when substances (calcium, uric acid and oxalate) become concentrated, and drinking lemon water (with the juice of two lemons per day) can help prevent the stones from forming in the first place. — Stephanie Dolgoff, Good Housekeeping, "7 Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water, According to a Dietician," 21 Nov. 2019 How terrible to know that in the space of an hour, a baby could be alive — his heart beating, his kidneys creating the urine that becomes the amniotic fluid of his safe home — and then be dead, his heart stopped, his body soon to be discarded. — Alexandra Desanctis, National Review, "An Honest Abortion Debate," 14 Nov. 2019 Johansen suffered major injuries, losing a large stretch of his intestines and part of his kidney as a result of the shooting, according to trial testimony. — Kevin Rector, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore to pay $40,000 to man shot in 2014 by convicted police officer," 22 Oct. 2019 Think of closed-circuit dialysis machines that thousands of patients use daily to flush out toxins from their body because their own kidneys have stopped working. — Christof Koch, Scientific American, "Is Death Reversible?," 11 Oct. 2019 After retiring, her father returned to Nagoro to help take care of his ailing father-in-law and to nurse his wife through kidney failure. — New York Times, "There Are No Children Here. Just Lots of Life-Size Dolls.," 17 Dec. 2019 Bradley’s mom was diagnosed with diabetes many years ago and suffered multiple complications ranging from blindness to kidney failure. — oregonlive, "Anna Canzano: Taking your questions about caring for an aging parent," 13 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kidney.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

11 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Kidney.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kidney. Accessed 20 January 2020.

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More Definitions for kidney

kidney

noun

English Language Learners Definition of kidney

: either of two organs in your body that remove waste products from your blood and make urine

: an animal kidney used as food

See the full definition for kidney in the English Language Learners Dictionary

kidney

noun

kid·ney | \ ˈkid-nē

plural kidneys

Kids Definition of kidney

: either of a pair of organs near the backbone that give off waste from the body in the form of urine and in humans are bean-shaped

kidney

noun

kid·ney | \ ˈkid-nē

plural kidneys

Medical Definition of kidney

1 : one of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped organs about 4¹/₂ inches (11¹/₂ centimeters) long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into the renal pelvis whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder — compare mesonephros, metanephros, pronephros

2 : any of various excretory organs of invertebrate animals

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