1
a
: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
also
: a stitch made with a suture
b
: the act or process of sewing with sutures
2
a
: a uniting of parts
b
: the seam or seamlike line along which two things or parts are sewed or united
3
a
: the line of union in an immovable articulation (as between the bones of the skull)
also
: such an articulation
b
: a furrow at the junction of adjacent bodily parts
especially
: a line of dehiscence (as on a fruit)
Synonyms
Examples of suture in a Sentence
Verb
The surgeon sutured the incision.
the doctor cleaned, sutured, and bandaged the wound
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Whitlock, Rn, Msn, Fn, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2023
Doctors found during an ultrasound that the C-section incision was closed with string or thread and not with the standard suture material, which detectives said could have led to her infection.
—Sara Smart, CNN, 13 Aug. 2023
This heavy-duty fiber could one day be used for surgical sutures, wound dressings, armored vests and structural materials for vehicles.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023
The new date coincides with the time when Nuna began to splinter, thinning along the geologic sutures where earlier continents had collided, Dr. Olierook said.
—Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
Records show his 5-year-old daughter, Toni, died in 1974 after the sutures used to fix her congenital heart defect tore.
—Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023
This injury needed several procedures in the shelter’s trauma hospital to clip and clean it including an initial surgery and sutures to close the wound.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2023
Surgical set Critical items would have included an amputation saw, tourniquet, trephines (for slicing into the skull), bone forceps, a large amputation knife, several smaller knives and suture needles.
—Will McCarthy, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023
The wish list for the next shipment includes surgical instruments, gauze, bandages, water filters, tourniquets, suture materials, electrocardiogram machines, surgical gowns, sterile drapes, and more, said George Samson, president & CEO of World Medical Relief.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2022
Rozina Ali, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023
Forests are set ablaze or leveled by chainsaws, quickly and indiscriminately; planters then suture avocado saplings onto the barren earth.
—Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
On the porch of a hut, the nurse, José Luis Fernández, cleaned the wound, injected an anesthetic and sutured the cut.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Usually, it would be removed after closing the uterine incision (and before the skin is sutured).
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023
At Beth Israel Deaconess, students toured the emergency room, attended a lecture about how medical professionals’ biases affect care for minorities, and learned how to suture.
—Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 24 July 2023
His duties included conducting intake interviews, prescribing medications, and suturing.
—Yoko Ogawa, The New Yorker, 20 July 2023
There was this 11-year-old boy learning how to suture trauma wounds with one of the military medics.
—Terence McGinley, New York Times, 28 June 2023
But the biggest challenge was inherent to the design: a 360-degree wraparound ribbon of four-foot-tall windows that horizontally bisect the entire studio, as if its peaked roof had been sliced clean and then sutured back on with glass.
—Kurt Soller Angela Hau, New York Times, 5 May 2023
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Noun
The incision is closed with sutures or adhesive strips, and a sling is placed on your arm to immobilize the arm and shoulder and prevent lead dislodgment.1
From start to finish, pacemaker surgery takes around 30 minutes.
—Jennifer Whitlock, Rn, Msn, Fn, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2023
Doctors found during an ultrasound that the C-section incision was closed with string or thread and not with the standard suture material, which detectives said could have led to her infection.
—Sara Smart, CNN, 13 Aug. 2023
This heavy-duty fiber could one day be used for surgical sutures, wound dressings, armored vests and structural materials for vehicles.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023
The new date coincides with the time when Nuna began to splinter, thinning along the geologic sutures where earlier continents had collided, Dr. Olierook said.
—Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
Records show his 5-year-old daughter, Toni, died in 1974 after the sutures used to fix her congenital heart defect tore.
—Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2023
This injury needed several procedures in the shelter’s trauma hospital to clip and clean it including an initial surgery and sutures to close the wound.
—The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 21 July 2023
Surgical set Critical items would have included an amputation saw, tourniquet, trephines (for slicing into the skull), bone forceps, a large amputation knife, several smaller knives and suture needles.
—Will McCarthy, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2023
The wish list for the next shipment includes surgical instruments, gauze, bandages, water filters, tourniquets, suture materials, electrocardiogram machines, surgical gowns, sterile drapes, and more, said George Samson, president & CEO of World Medical Relief.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2022
Verb
With supplies running low, some people were cut and sutured without anesthesia.
—Rozina Ali, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023
Forests are set ablaze or leveled by chainsaws, quickly and indiscriminately; planters then suture avocado saplings onto the barren earth.
—Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023
On the porch of a hut, the nurse, José Luis Fernández, cleaned the wound, injected an anesthetic and sutured the cut.
—Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Usually, it would be removed after closing the uterine incision (and before the skin is sutured).
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2023
At Beth Israel Deaconess, students toured the emergency room, attended a lecture about how medical professionals’ biases affect care for minorities, and learned how to suture.
—Macie Parker, BostonGlobe.com, 24 July 2023
His duties included conducting intake interviews, prescribing medications, and suturing.
—Yoko Ogawa, The New Yorker, 20 July 2023
There was this 11-year-old boy learning how to suture trauma wounds with one of the military medics.
—Terence McGinley, New York Times, 28 June 2023
But the biggest challenge was inherent to the design: a 360-degree wraparound ribbon of four-foot-tall windows that horizontally bisect the entire studio, as if its peaked roof had been sliced clean and then sutured back on with glass.
—Kurt Soller Angela Hau, New York Times, 5 May 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suture.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin sutura seam, suture, from sutus, past participle of suere to sew — more at sew
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1777, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of suture was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing suture
Dictionary Entries Near suture
Cite this Entry
“Suture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suture. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
suture
1 of 2 noun
su·ture
ˈsü-chər 
1
a
: a stitch made with a suture
b
: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
c
: the act or process of sewing with sutures
2
: the line of connection in an immovable joint (as between the bones of the skull)
also
: such a joint
suture
2 of 2 verb
sutured; suturing
ˈsüch-(ə-)riŋ
: to unite, close, or secure with sutures
suture a wound
Medical Definition
suture
1 of 2 noun
su·ture
ˈsü-chər
1
a
: a stitch made with a suture
b
: a strand or fiber used to sew parts of the living body
c
: the act or process of sewing with sutures
2
a
: the line of union in an immovable articulation (as between the bones of the skull)
also
: such an articulation
b
: a furrow at the junction of adjacent bodily parts
suture
2 of 2 transitive verb
sutured; suturing
ˈsüch-(ə-)riŋ
: to unite, close, or secure with sutures
suture a wound
More from Merriam-Webster on suture
Britannica English: Translation of suture for Arabic Speakers
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