uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyü-tə-rəs 

ˈyü-trəs

plural uteri ˈyü-tə-ˌrī  or uteruses

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 other animals (such as salamanders and nematodes) analogous to the mammalian uterus in which eggs or young develop

Examples of uterus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As your abdomen expands to accommodate a growing uterus, your skin and its underlying connective tissues are stretched and your collagen production is impacted, says Suzanne Barnhart, MD, OhioHealth OB/GYN, Pickerington Campus. —Sherri Gordon, Parents, 9 June 2026

It’s famously recommended that women do pelvic floor exercises, such as Kegels, during pregnancy to support the uterus, improve bladder control, and speed up recovery during the postpartum period. —Stacey Colino, Time, 9 June 2026

However, scientific evidence doesn't support a connection between tampons and cramps, as period cramps occur in the uterus and tampons sit in the vaginal canal. —Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 8 June 2026

As a woman with endometriosis, Wilson has also become an advocate for those with the condition, which causes endometrial tissue to grow outside of the uterus. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, belly, womb; probably akin to Greek hoderos belly, Sanskrit udara

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyüt-ə-rəs 

plural uteruses or uteri -ˌrī 

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

called also womb

Medical Definition

uterus

noun

uter·​us ˈyüt-ə-rəs 

plural uteri -ˌrī  also uteruses

: 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

see cervix sense 2a, corpus uteri, endometrium, fundus sense c, myometrium, perimetrium