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.
Breast Cancer Screening Needs for Women Over 50 The ACS recommends that women have the option to start screening with a mammogram every year between the age of 40 and 44, and to begin mammogram screenings annually between age 45 to 54. Korin Miller, Flow Space, 7 Oct. 2025 For all types of breast cancer, regular mammograms remain the best way to catch disease early. Dr. Jamie Parkerson, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025 While the American College of Radiology now recommends annual MRI in addition to mammograms for women with dense breasts seeking supplemental screening, barriers to MRI use include lack of access, high-cost and patient intolerance, according to the authors. Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025 The content creator said her doctor ordered a mammogram and ultrasound of the lymph node in her armpit. Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 3 Oct. 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 16 Oct. 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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