cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
ˈkär-tə-lij 
ˈkärt-lij
1
: a usually translucent (see translucent sense 1) somewhat elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos and except for a small number of structures (such as some joints, respiratory passages, and the external ear) is replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
Examples of cartilage in a Sentence
She fell and damaged some cartilage in her knee.
Recent Examples on the Web
Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that the nasal septum is a thin wall of cartilage and bone that separates the two nasal passages.
—
Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Symptoms include cartilage damage and stunted growth, leading to severe mobility issues, Nasser explains.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2025
Their study zeroed in on a fibroblast growth factor (FGF), a type of protein, that can regenerate a finger joint complete with articular cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
In the video, Jackson used her phone’s flashlight to better highlight the hole in the cartilage between her nostrils.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartilage
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Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Symptoms include cartilage damage and stunted growth, leading to severe mobility issues, Nasser explains.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2025
Their study zeroed in on a fibroblast growth factor (FGF), a type of protein, that can regenerate a finger joint complete with articular cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
In the video, Jackson used her phone’s flashlight to better highlight the hole in the cartilage between her nostrils.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cartilage
Cite this Entry
“Cartilage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartilage. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
ˈkärt-ᵊl-ij
ˈkärt-lij
1
: an elastic tissue which composes most of the skeleton of the vertebrate embryo and much of which is changed to bone later in life
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
Medical Definition
cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
ˈkärt-ᵊl-ij, ˈkärt-lij
1
: a usually translucent somewhat elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos and except for a small number of structures (as some joints, respiratory passages, and the external ear) is replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
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