surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsərj-rē 

ˈsər-jə-

plural surgeries

1

: a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures

2

: alterations made as if by surgery

literary surgery

3

a

British : a physician's or dentist's office

b

: a room or area where surgery is performed

4

a

: the work done by a surgeon

b

: operation

Examples of surgery in a Sentence

He's a specialist in brain surgery.

The doctor has recommended surgery.

He has recently undergone surgery on his shoulder.

a doctor who has performed many surgeries

The patient was taken directly to surgery.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the months following her first three surgeries and eventual reconstruction, Munn had to learn to adapt to her new body. —Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024

Prospective patients need to do extensive research, looking at things like the qualifications and experience of medical staff, gratifying patient reviews, and a clinic's history of successful surgeries. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024

He was noted as having particularly high success rates for his surgeries. —Christina Coulter, Fox News, 19 Apr. 2024

Veterinarians regularly use xylazine to sedate or calm everything from sheep and cattle to cats and dogs before surgery or while conducting diagnostic tests. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024

The study analyzed data from women admitted to French hospitals for intracranial meningioma surgery between 2009 and 2018, collecting data from over 18,000 patients. —Lily Carey, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024

Miami-Dade County’s public hospital system is going through its toughest financial hurdles in over a decade, following a decrease in transplant and other surgeries and a slowdown in payments, according to Jackson Health CEO Carlos Migoya. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

In this image, after surgery and radiotherapy treatment, Jiuer recovers well and the family feels optimistic about the future. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024

Treatment includes surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or different forms of therapy such as electric field therapy, which uses electrical fields to target cells in the tumor while not hurting normal cells, according to WebMD. —Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English surgerie, from Anglo-French cirurgerie, surgerie, from Latin chirurgia, from Greek cheirourgia, from cheirourgos surgeon, from cheirourgos doing by hand, from cheir hand + ergon work — more at chir-, work

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing surgery

• bottom surgery
• cosmetic surgery
• exploratory surgery
• gender affirmation surgery
• gender-affirming surgery
• gender confirmation surgery
• gender-confirming surgery
• gender reassignment surgery
• in surgery
• plastic surgery
• pre-surgery
• reconstructive surgery
• sex change surgery
• Tommy John surgery
• top surgery
• tree surgery

Kids Definition

surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsərj-(ə-)rē 

plural surgeries

1

: medical science concerned with the correction of physical defects, the repair and healing of injuries, and the treatment of diseased conditions especially by operations

2

a

: the work done by a surgeon

b

: operation sense 3

3

: a room or area where surgery is performed

Etymology

Middle English surgerie "surgery," from early French cirurgerie, surgerie (same meaning), from Latin chirurgia (same meaning), derived from Greek cheirourgos "surgeon," from cheirourgos "doing by hand," from cheir "hand" and ergon "work"

Medical Definition

surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsərj-(ə-)rē 

plural surgeries

1

: a branch of medicine concerned with diseases and conditions requiring or amenable to operative or manual procedures

2

a

British : a physician's or dentist's office

b

: a room or area where surgery is performed

3

a

: the work done by a surgeon

b

: operation