gallbladder

noun

gall·​blad·​der ˈgȯl-ˌbla-dər 

plural gallbladders

: a membranous muscular sac in which bile from the liver is concentrated and stored before being passed to the intestinal duodenum

After a meal, the gallbladder contracts and injects several tablespoons of bile into the small intestines, where the detergent-like bile salts break up fats.

—David Schardt

For reasons not yet entirely clear, many people, women more often than men, are predisposed to forming stones in their gallbladder.

—Sherwin B. Nuland

Examples of gallbladder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the time, doctors thought the patient had a gallbladder infection. —Maggie Vespa, NBC news, 19 May 2026

Analyst Ashwani Verma wrote in a Tuesday note that the company's Ziihera, a treatment for gallbladder cancer, is set for rapid usage and approval before its mandatory deadline of August 25. —Liz Napolitano,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 18 May 2026

Last summer, a machine watched 17 hours of surgical video, and then, without a human hand guiding it, removed a gallbladder. —Nandan Lad, Time, 27 Apr. 2026

Roth plans to have her gallbladder removed. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

gall entry 1 + bladder

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gallbladder

• stepladder
• adder
• bladder
• ladder
• madder
• sadder

Kids Definition

gallbladder

noun

gall·​blad·​der ˈgȯl-ˌblad-ər 

: a muscular sac in which bile from the liver is stored

Medical Definition

gallbladder

noun

gall·​blad·​der ˈgȯl-ˌblad-ər 

: a membranous muscular sac in which bile from the liver is concentrated and stored before being passed to the duodenum

Gallstones are made of cholesterol, a normal component of the bile stored in the gallbladder.

—D. Shiga, Science News

Removal of the gallbladder—a pear-shaped sac in the right side of your abdomen—has little adverse effect on digestion. After surgery, bile flows directly from your liver to your small intestine rather than being stored first in your gallbladder.

—Mayo Clinic Health Letter