uterus

noun

uter·us | \ ˈyü-tə-rəs

, ˈyü-trəs\

plural uteri\ ˈyü-tə-ˌrī

\ or uteruses

Definition of uterus

1 : a muscular organ of the female mammal for containing and usually for nourishing the young during development prior to birth

— called also womb

2 : a structure in some lower animals analogous to the uterus in which eggs or young develop

Examples of uterus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How surgical abortions and medication abortions work Surgical abortions are in-clinic procedures using suction or other medical tools to remove a pregnancy from the uterus. — SELF, "The Complicated Reality of Buying Abortion Pills Online," 8 Apr. 2019 Copper IUDs, the only nonhormonal option, make the lining of the uterus inhospitable to sperm. — Ginny Graves, Allure, "Birth Control: 3 Different Types and How They Work," 8 Apr. 2019 The mesh product—used to treat a condition called pelvic organ prolapse, in which organs like the bladder, uterus and others sag into the vaginal area—was first cleared by the FDA for U.S. marketing in 1996. — Thomas M. Burton, WSJ, "FDA Panel Assesses Risks of Women’s Surgical Mesh," 12 Feb. 2019 Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support crucial internal organs like your bladder and uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic. — Rachel Jacoby Zoldan, SELF, "14 Benefits of Female Masturbation and Why Every Woman Should Do It," 31 Dec. 2018 Instead, ParaGard is made of copper, which creates a toxic, inflammatory reaction in your uterus that is toxic to sperm. — Korin Miller, SELF, "When Is It OK to Get Your IUD Removed?," 12 Mar. 2019 Endometriosis is commonly thought to happen when the inner lining of the uterus grows on other organs. — Colleen Stinchcombe, SELF, "How Does Endometriosis Impact Fertility?," 8 Feb. 2019 Women thought to be at high risk of those cancers are sometimes screened with a blood test that detects an immune system biomarker called CA-125, or with a transvaginal ultrasound that looks for telltale thickening of the uterus' endometrial wall. — Melissa Healy, latimes.com, "Modified Pap tests can show early warning signs of other gynecological cancers," 22 Mar. 2018 Usually, the prenatal surgery requires cutting open the uterus. — Denise Grady, New York Times, "After Surgery in the Womb, a Baby Kicks Up Hope," 15 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'uterus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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22 Apr 2019

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The first known use of uterus was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for uterus

uterus

noun

English Language Learners Definition of uterus

medical : the organ in women and some female animals in which babies develop before birth

See the full definition for uterus in the English Language Learners Dictionary

uterus

noun

uter·us | \ ˈyü-tə-rəs

plural uteruses or uteri\ ˈyü-tə-ˌrī \

Kids Definition of uterus

: the organ of a female mammal in which the young develop before birth

uterus

noun

uter·us | \ ˈyüt-ə-rəs

plural uteri\ -ˌrī

\ also uteruses

Medical Definition of uterus

: an organ in female mammals for containing and usually for nourishing the young during development prior to birth that consists of a greatly modified and enlarged section of an oviduct (as in rodents and marsupials) or of the two oviducts united (as in the higher primates including humans), that has thick walls consisting of an outer serous layer, a very thick middle layer of smooth muscle, and an inner mucous layer containing numerous glands, and that during pregnancy undergoes great increase in size and change in the condition of its walls

— called also womb