transplant

1 of 2

verb

trans·​plant ˌtran(t)s-ˈplant 

transplanted; transplanting; transplants

transitive verb

1

: to lift and reset (a plant) in another soil or situation

2

: to remove from one place or context and settle or introduce elsewhere : relocate

3

: to transfer (an organ or tissue) from one part or individual to another

intransitive verb

: to tolerate being transplanted

does not transplant as well as other varieties

transplantability

ˌtran(t)s-ˌplan-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

transplantable

tran(t)s-ˈplan-tə-bəl 

adjective

transplantation

ˌtran(t)s-ˌplan-ˈtā-shən 

noun

transplanter

tran(t)s-ˈplan-tər 

noun

transplant

2 of 2

noun

trans·​plant ˈtran(t)s-ˌplant 

1

a

: a person or thing that is transplanted

b

: a manufacturing plant set up locally by a foreign automobile company to save on shipping costs

bumpers shipped to a Japanese transplant in the U.S.

2

: the act or process of transplanting

Examples of transplant in a Sentence

Verb

She carefully transplanted the seedlings.

The bush was transplanted to a different part of the garden.

Doctors transplanted one of his kidneys into his sister.

a recipient of a transplanted heart

The group transplanted the beavers to another part of the state.

She is a New Yorker who recently transplanted to the West Coast.

Noun

The heart transplant was successful.

He is going to need a liver transplant.

The doctors are trying to keep him alive until a liver can be found for transplant.

The patient's body rejected the transplant.

She received a bone marrow transplant from an unknown donor.

She's a Southern transplant who now lives in New York.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

There’s seemingly no end to being a refugee, to being displaced—to be re-settled is to be transplanted to a place that always remains, from food to music, topography to climate, alien. —Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 21 May 2025

The first stage was to incubate it in Tabuk, here at the King Khalid Sports City Stadium, and then transplant it to The Line a decade from now, just in time for the 2034 World Cup. —James Montague, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Noun

Stem cell transplant: Also called a bone marrow transplant, this treatment replaces cancerous bone marrow cells with healthy donor cells. —Health, 24 May 2025

As part of their visit to the adjoining children’s hospital, Evan and Liz met with 10-year-old Pablo Escobar, a diehard Dodgers fan who has undergone two kidney transplants after a diagnosis with Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English transplaunten, from Late Latin transplantare, from Latin trans- + plantare to plant

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for transplant

• decant
• descant
• eggplant
• enchant
• explant
• implant
• preplant
• recant
• replant
• secant
• supplant
• ant

Kids Definition

transplant

1 of 2 verb

trans·​plant tran(t)s-ˈplant 

1

: to dig up and plant in another soil or situation

transplant seedlings

2

: to remove from one place and settle or introduce elsewhere

transplanted beavers to other parts of the state

a New Yorker transplanted to the West coast

3

: to transfer (an organ or tissue) from one part or individual to another

transplantation

ˌtran(t)s-ˌplan-ˈtā-shən 

noun

transplanter

tran(t)s-ˈplant-ər 

noun

transplant

2 of 2 noun

trans·​plant ˈtran(t)s-ˌplant 

1

: something or someone transplanted

2

: the act or process of transplanting

Medical Definition

transplant

1 of 2 transitive verb

trans·​plant tran(t)s-ˈplant 

: to transfer from one place to another

especially : to transfer (an organ or tissue) from one part or individual to another

transplant

2 of 2 noun

trans·​plant ˈtran(t)s-ˌplant 

1

: something (as an organ or part) that is transplanted

2

: the act or process of transplanting : transplantation

performed a kidney transplant