tumor

noun

tu·​mor ˈtü-mər How to pronounce tumor (audio)
ˈtyü-
1
: an abnormal benign or malignant new growth of tissue that possesses no physiological function and arises from uncontrolled usually rapid cellular proliferation

called also neoplasm

2
: a swollen or distended part
… houses that bulged with the tumors and warts of … ornamental architecture …W. A. White
tumoral adjective
tumorlike adjective

Examples of tumor in a Sentence

the scan showed a small tumor in her abdomen
Recent Examples on the Web After busting Parker’s chops for giving the kidnappers a name from Spies Like Us, Dr. Logan confesses that she’s never done surgery on a tumor as large as Savina’s without Harper. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2024 Symptoms vary depending on the location of the tumor, but can include headaches, blurred vision, vomiting, loss of appetite, and changes in mood and ability to think and learn. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or different forms of therapy such as electric field therapy, which uses electrical fields to target cells in the tumor while not hurting normal cells, according to WebMD. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024 Her next doctor’s appointment to examine the tumor on April 18. Wendy Grossman Kantor, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024 The tumor had spread through the thyroid gland, onto the carotid artery and into the tracheal rings. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024 The method would involve a version of the bacterium that can’t cause disease but can still invade the colorectal tumor. Lauryn Higgins, Health, 9 Apr. 2024 And some molecular studies suggest that tumors in early-onset colorectal cancers do have different mutations driving the cancer compared with tumors in older adults. Knvul Sheikh, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024 GenX chemicals have been shown in animal studies to damage the liver, kidneys and immune system, as well as liver and pancreatic tumors. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tumor.' 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

Middle English tumour, from Latin tumor, from tumēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tumor was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near tumor

Cite this Entry

“Tumor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tumor. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

tumor

noun
tu·​mor ˈt(y)ü-mər How to pronounce tumor (audio)
: an abnormal mass of tissue that arises from normal tissue cells and serves no useful purpose in the body
tumorous
ˈt(y)üm-(ə-)rəs
adjective

Medical Definition

tumor

noun
tu·​mor
variants or chiefly British tumour
: an abnormal benign or malignant new growth of tissue that possesses no physiological function and arises from uncontrolled usually rapid cellular proliferation see cancer sense 1, carcinoma, sarcoma
tumorlike adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on tumor

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