stethoscope

noun

stetho·​scope ˈste-thə-ˌskōp 

also

-t͟hə- 

: a medical instrument for detecting sounds produced in the body that are conveyed to the ears of the listener through rubber tubing connected with a piece placed upon the area to be examined

stethoscopic

ˌste-thə-ˈskä-pik 

also -t͟hə-

adjective

Examples of stethoscope in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The stethoscope isn’t obsolete. —Angelo Volandes, STAT, 30 Dec. 2025

Rebel commander Ko Ta Mar was a doctor before the civil war, exchanging his stethoscope for an automatic weapon to fight the military after the coup. —Michael Sullivan, NPR, 27 Dec. 2025

Tobie Smith, a street medicine doctor with Street Health D.C., checks a homeless person with a stethoscope in November 2025. —Angela Hart, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

Its homepage includes a photo of a woman dressed like a medical professional, wearing teal scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck. —Carly Thomsen, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French stéthoscope, from Greek stēthos chest + French -scope

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stethoscope

• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope
• endoscope
• envelope
• epitope
• gyroscope
• horoscope
• isotope
• microscope
• misanthrope

Kids Definition

stethoscope

noun

stetho·​scope ˈsteth-ə-ˌskōp 

also ˈstet͟h-

: a medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced in the body and especially those of the heart and lungs

Medical Definition

stethoscope

noun

stetho·​scope

ˈsteth-ə-ˌskōp also ˈstet͟h-

: an instrument used to detect and study sounds produced in the body that are conveyed to the ears of the listener through rubber tubing connected with a usually cup-shaped piece placed upon the area to be examined

stethoscopic

ˌsteth-ə-ˈskäp-ik also ˌstet͟h-

adjective

stethoscopically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb