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

Meanwhile, in February, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new clinical guidelines enabling earlier diagnosis of endometriosis without surgery, a step toward addressing the delays Waters described. —Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026

Right-hander Cade Horton is scheduled to have his elbow surgery Thursday. —Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

Then the game-wrecking interior defensive lineman had a down year coming off surgery for a dislocated elbow. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026

Collins underwent surgery for more than two hours, during which doctors found half-inch-long fragments of the munition he was shot with, DeSimone said. —Ryanne Mena, Daily News, 15 Apr. 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