surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsər-jə-rē 

ˈsərj-

plural surgeries

1

: a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures

2

: alterations made as if by surgery

literary surgery

3

a

British : a physician's or dentist's office

b

: a room or area where surgery is performed

4

a

: the work done by a surgeon

b

: operation

Examples of surgery in a Sentence

He's a specialist in brain surgery.

The doctor has recommended surgery.

He has recently undergone surgery on his shoulder.

a doctor who has performed many surgeries

The patient was taken directly to surgery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Bryce Elder got surgery to remove bone fragments in his right knee and will sit for at least three or four weeks, putting his postseason presence in doubt. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Sep. 2026

And in Atlanta, Bryce Elder underwent knee surgery, but hopes to return for the playoffs. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Prosecutors said the first victim needed specialty surgery to remove the knife from his back, and Grunhaus was also hospitalized with serious injuries. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Two such patients said the bills Marshall pursued in court stemmed from late miscarriages that required surgery. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English surgerie, from Anglo-French cirurgerie, surgerie, from Latin chirurgia, from Greek cheirourgia, from cheirourgos surgeon, from cheirourgos doing by hand, from cheir hand + ergon work — more at chir-, work

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing surgery

• bottom surgery
• cosmetic surgery
• exploratory surgery
• gender affirmation surgery
• gender-affirming surgery
• gender confirmation surgery
• gender-confirming surgery
• gender reassignment surgery
• in surgery
• plastic surgery
• pre-surgery
• reconstructive surgery
• sex change surgery
• Tommy John surgery
• top surgery
• tree surgery

Rhymes for surgery

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

Kids Definition

surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsərj-(ə-)rē 

plural surgeries

1

: medical science concerned with the correction of physical defects, the repair and healing of injuries, and the treatment of diseased conditions especially by operations

2

a

: the work done by a surgeon

b

: operation sense 3

3

: a room or area where surgery is performed

Etymology

Middle English surgerie "surgery," from early French cirurgerie, surgerie (same meaning), from Latin chirurgia (same meaning), derived from Greek cheirourgos "surgeon," from cheirourgos "doing by hand," from cheir "hand" and ergon "work"

Medical Definition

surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsərj-(ə-)rē 

plural surgeries

1

: a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures

2

a

British : a physician's or dentist's office

b

: a room or area where surgery is performed

3

a

: the work done by a surgeon

b

: operation