top surgery
noun
plural top surgeries
: a type of gender confirmation surgery in which a person's breasts are removed or augmented to align with their gender identity
… a transgender man who had recently undergone top surgery to feel more comfortable in his own body.—
Christy Kuesel
Christy KueselSteps in his transition from female to male include top surgery for breast removal, as well as receiving testosterone.—Schuyler Bailar
compare bottom surgery
Schuyler BailarExamples of top surgery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jey McCreight underwent hormone replacement therapy and top surgery in their mid-30s to transition into a transmasculine person.
—Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
In the game, Beardsley plays a drug dealer who wears a medical bracelet — from his recent top surgery — that gives him powers.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 June 2025
For him, getting top surgery was a 14-year process.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2025
Revathi writes that her organization has been working to have those who have undergone only top surgery and hormone treatment to be formally recognized as men.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2025
Controversies around inclusion on something as small as optional top surgery scars in a character creator made developers targets.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2025
Despite what right-wing dog whistles would have one believe, irreversible procedures like top surgery are performed on individuals under the age of 18 in only the rarest of cases.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
One mother told me that Mount Sinai had cancelled a consultation for her son’s top surgery in December, weeks before Trump took office.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
But nobody is doing top surgery or bottom surgery, or any sort of gender-affirming surgeries on ten-year-olds, on children.
—Spencer MacNaughton, Them, 1 Feb. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025
In the game, Beardsley plays a drug dealer who wears a medical bracelet — from his recent top surgery — that gives him powers.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 2 June 2025
For him, getting top surgery was a 14-year process.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2025
Revathi writes that her organization has been working to have those who have undergone only top surgery and hormone treatment to be formally recognized as men.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2025
Controversies around inclusion on something as small as optional top surgery scars in a character creator made developers targets.
—Megan Farokhmanesh, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2025
Despite what right-wing dog whistles would have one believe, irreversible procedures like top surgery are performed on individuals under the age of 18 in only the rarest of cases.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
One mother told me that Mount Sinai had cancelled a consultation for her son’s top surgery in December, weeks before Trump took office.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
But nobody is doing top surgery or bottom surgery, or any sort of gender-affirming surgeries on ten-year-olds, on children.
—Spencer MacNaughton, Them, 1 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Top surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top%20surgery. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share