: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind
specifically
: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo sense 1a
Examples of fetus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rubella, also called German measles, is mild in children but devastating to fetuses, causing deafness, heart defects and intellectual disabilities when pregnant women are infected.
—
Jake Scott, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Rubella, also called German measles, is mild in children but devastating to fetuses, causing deafness, heart defects and intellectual disabilities when pregnant women are infected.
—Jake Scott, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Getting prenatal care in the first trimester helps protect the health of both the pregnant person and the fetus.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 4 Jan. 2026
The geneticist explained that while the fetus’s DNA appeared normal, the test was inconclusive due to extra DNA in her blood that didn’t seem to belong to either the baby or herself.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetus
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Jake Scott, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Rubella, also called German measles, is mild in children but devastating to fetuses, causing deafness, heart defects and intellectual disabilities when pregnant women are infected.
—Jake Scott, The Conversation, 6 Jan. 2026
Getting prenatal care in the first trimester helps protect the health of both the pregnant person and the fetus.
—Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 4 Jan. 2026
The geneticist explained that while the fetus’s DNA appeared normal, the test was inconclusive due to extra DNA in her blood that didn’t seem to belong to either the baby or herself.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetus
Cite this Entry
“Fetus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetus. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fetus
noun
fe·tus
ˈfēt-əs 
plural fetuses
: a young animal while in the body of its mother or in the egg especially in the later stages of development
especially
: a developing human being in the uterus from usually two months after pregnancy occurs to birth compare embryo sense 1
Medical Definition
fetus
noun
fe·tus
variants
or chiefly British foetus
plural fetuses or chiefly British foetuses or foeti
ˈfēt-ˌī
: an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind
specifically
: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth compare embryo
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