kidney

noun

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

Gomez reportedly visited the hospital twice in recent weeks due to a low white blood cell count, which was likely a side effect from her recent kidney transplant. — D. Elizabeth, Glamour, "Selena Gomez Is Reportedly Seeking Treatment Following an 'Emotional Breakdown'," 11 Oct. 2018 Gomez reportedly visited the hospital twice in recent weeks due to a dangerously low white blood cell count, which was likely a side effect from her recent kidney transplant. — D. Elizabeth, Allure, "Selena Gomez Is Reportedly Getting Treatment Following an "Emotional Breakdown"," 11 Oct. 2018 DeLunas eventually got a kidney transplant, with his brother, Adam, as the donor, but what preceded the operation were 10 months of excruciating dialysis. — Alexa Philippou, The Seattle Times, "The most interesting man in baseball? It might be Mariners bullpen coach Brian DeLunas," 28 Aug. 2018 Joyette Jagolino, an associate director of Cedars-Sinai’s Comprehensive Transplant Center, recently chatted with German Cinto, who had a kidney transplant, while another nurse checked his IV. — Lucette Lagnado, WSJ, "A Sisterhood of Nurses," 11 Aug. 2018 Proposition 8 would have limited profits for dialysis clinics that provide vital treatment for people whose kidneys don’t work properly. — Marley Jay, The Seattle Times, "Election Impact: Health care stocks jump following midterms," 7 Nov. 2018 The authors also say their own research analysis overlooked key indicators of health: Liver function, vascular function, cardiovascular events, and kidney function. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "The 5 Most Common Arguments for the Keto Diet, Debunked," 28 Aug. 2018 The first lady’s appearance came amid her return to the international stage after she was hospitalized in May for a kidney surgery and dropped out of sight for nearly a month. — Sylvia Hui, BostonGlobe.com, "Melania Trump dutifully tries her hand at lawn bowling," 13 July 2018 The first lady’s appearance came amid her return to the international stage after she was hospitalized in May for a kidney surgery and dropped out of sight for nearly a month. — Washington Post, "Melania Trump dutifully tries her hand at lawn bowls," 13 July 2018

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

29 Nov 2018

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The first known use of kidney was in the 14th century

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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