local anesthesia

noun

: loss of sensation in a limited and usually superficial area produced especially by an anesthetic affecting only a part of the body

This procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia, and can be done by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon on an outpatient basis.

—Consumer Reports

compare general anesthesia

local anesthetic noun

More than 60 percent of American women choose relief in the form of an epidural, a combination of local anesthetic and narcotic administered into the epidural space surrounding the spinal cord.

—Melinda Wenner Moyer

Examples of local anesthesia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each donor undergoes a short health screening and a minor outpatient procedure to collect a small amount of breast tissue under local anesthesia. —Samanta Habashy, IndyStar, 7 July 2025

This in-office procedure involves removing a sample of tissue under local anesthesia. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 2 July 2025

The hair transplant procedure is then performed under local anesthesia. —Kody Boye, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025

Your healthcare provider will give you local anesthesia, usually by injecting a numbing medication into the toe. —Carrie Madormo, Rn, Health, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for local anesthesia

• amnesia
• atresia
• babesia
• anaesthesia
• analgesia
• dyskinesia
• paresthesia
• hyperalgesia
• hyperesthesia

Medical Definition

local anesthesia

noun

: loss of sensation in a limited and usually superficial area especially from the effect of a local anesthetic