plastic surgery

noun

: a branch of surgery concerned with improving the function or appearance of parts of the body through reconstructive or cosmetic medical procedures

also : a procedure performed for such a purpose

Note: Reconstructive plastic surgery deals mainly with the surgical repair or restoration of an injured, lost, diseased, defective, or misshapen part or area. It typically involves the grafting of tissue (such as skin or cartilage) from one part of the body to another. Cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery focuses on enhancing appearance and includes surgical procedures (such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation) as well as nonsurgical procedures (such as chemical peels and botulinum toxin injections).

Examples of plastic surgery in a Sentence

He needed plastic surgery on his face after the car accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

But according to BI‘s reporting, many plastic surgery clinics still advertise alloClae. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 11 June 2026

In this debut novel from author Wang, 26-year-old Linli Feng has her own problems, but has to face even more as she is drawn back into the orbit of her mother, a plastic surgery addict who gets sketchy procedures done in Los Angeles. —Michael Schaub, Oc Register, 11 June 2026

Six of the women died from complications of plastic surgery, according to medical examiner and coroner records, and two other patients overdosed on pain medication at home after undergoing their procedures. —Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

Shortly after coming clean about undergoing plastic surgery with before-and-after photos, the 64 year old gave her new look its red carpet debut at the 2026 Tony Awards on June 7. —Lara Walsh, InStyle, 8 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1837, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for plastic surgery

• cryosurgery
• microsurgery
• neurosurgery
• psychosurgery
• perjury
• radiosurgery

Kids Definition

plastic surgery

noun

: surgery concerned with the repair or improvement of lost, injured, defective, or misshapen parts of the body

Medical Definition

plastic surgery

noun

: a branch of surgery concerned with improving the function or appearance of parts of the body through reconstructive or cosmetic medical procedures

also : a procedure performed for such a purpose

Note: Reconstructive plastic surgery deals mainly with the surgical repair or restoration of an injured, lost, diseased, defective, or misshapen part or area. It typically involves the grafting of tissue (such as skin or cartilage) from one part of the body to another. Cosmetic or aesthetic plastic surgery focuses on enhancing appearance and includes surgical procedures (such as blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and breast augmentation) as well as nonsurgical procedures (such as chemical peels and botulinum toxin injections).