ostomy

noun

os·​to·​my ˈä-stə-mē 

plural ostomies

: an operation (such as a colostomy) to create an artificial passage for bodily elimination

Examples of ostomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Strive Medical serves more than 20,000 patients annually and specializes in urology, wound care, ostomy, and incontinence products. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 21 July 2026

Created to support, empower, and connect women living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and ostomies, Girls With Guts is a blog turned international sisterhood that helps participants develop deeper connections with their bodies. — Katie Camero, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026

Lisa Baxter, the clinical director of the inpatient wound and ostomy care team at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said her team uses maggot therapy once or twice a year, usually for patients who can’t have surgery. — Mustafa Fattah, NBC news, 17 May 2026

During her year of cancer treatment – which included multiple rounds of radiation, chemo pills and chemo infusions along with a surgery to remove her tumor that left her permanently reliant on an ostomy bag – Chapman was too weak to work. — Freep.com, 26 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

colostomy

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ostomy

• enterostomy
• gastroenterostomy

Medical Definition

ostomy

noun

os·​to·​my ˈäs-tə-mē 

plural ostomies

: an operation (as a colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy) to create an artificial passage for bodily elimination