polyp

noun

pol·​yp ˈpä-ləp 

1

: the sessile form of cnidarian (such as a coral or sea anemone) typically having a hollow cylindrical body closed and attached at one end and opening at the other by a central mouth surrounded by tentacles armed with nematocysts

2

: a growth projecting from a mucous membrane (as of the colon or vocal cords)

polypoid

ˈpä-lə-ˌpȯid 

adjective

Examples of polyp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That includes detecting some precancerous polyps that grow on the wall of the colon and may develop into cancer. —Tom Daykin, jsonline.com, 20 Nov. 2025

These growths, called adenomas or polyps, can later turn into cancer and are a good indicator of a person’s cancer risk, experts say. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2025

There’s a really cool medical device, for example, that’s helping our doctors identify potentially concerning polyps in colonoscopies. —Adam Stone, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

Wishart and his colleagues found that a panel of 69 metabolites in peoples’ urine could predict who had pre-cancerous polyps in their colon. —Veronique Greenwood, Time, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French polype octopus, nasal polyp, from Old French polipe, from Latin polypus, from Greek polypous, from poly- + pous foot — more at foot

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for polyp

• dollop
• wallop

Kids Definition

polyp

noun

pol·​yp ˈpäl-əp 

: an invertebrate animal (as a sea anemone or a coral) that is a coelenterate having a hollow cylinder-shaped body closed and attached at one end and opening at the other by a central mouth surrounded by tentacles armed with minute stinging organs

Medical Definition

polyp

noun

pol·​yp ˈpäl-əp 

: a projecting mass of swollen and hypertrophied or tumorous membrane (as in the nasal cavity or the intestine)

called also polypus