mammogram

noun

mam·​mo·​gram ˈma-mə-ˌgram How to pronounce mammogram (audio)
: a photograph of the breasts made by X-rays
also : the procedure for producing a mammogram

Examples of mammogram in a Sentence

She went to the hospital for her yearly mammogram.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
About 2 in 5 of the cancers (41 percent) were found on routine screening mammograms in women who had no breast cancer symptoms or concerns. Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Dec. 2025 Safran, a breast cancer survivor who couldn’t get a mammogram appointment in San Diego for nine months, walked into a clinic in Ajijic, self-referred, and got a 360-degree mammogram for under $100. Barbara Bry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2025 In medicine, this could lead to clearer mammograms and new imaging methods capable of revealing soft tissues without the need for contrast agents. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Nov. 2025 But experts agree that getting a mammogram is perfectly safe while nursing. Melissa Willets, Parents, 13 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mammogram

Word History

Etymology

Latin mamma "breast" + -o- + -gram — more at mamma entry 1

Note: The terms mammogram and mammography were introduced by the American physician and surgeon Nymphus Frederick Hicken (1900-98) in "Mammography: roentgenologic diagnosis of breast tumors by means of contrast media," Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, vol. 64 (1937), pp. 593-603.

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mammogram was in 1937

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Cite this Entry

“Mammogram.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mammogram. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

Medical Definition

mammogram

noun
mam·​mo·​gram ˈmam-ə-ˌgram How to pronounce mammogram (audio)
1
: a photograph of the breasts made by X-rays
2
: the procedure for producing a mammogram

More from Merriam-Webster on mammogram

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