biopsy
noun
bi·op·sy
ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 
plural biopsies
: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body
biopsy
transitive verb
Did you know?
Matter examined in a biopsy is always taken from a living organism. Most biopsies are done by using a needle to extract tissue or fluid, but some may instead require cutting, and others may amount to nothing more than swabbing the inside of the patient's cheek. Biopsies are best known as a means of detecting cancer, but a doctor may also take a biopsy of heart muscle to investigate suspected heart disease, for example, or perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman to test for disorders in the fetus.
Examples of biopsy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The gold standard for fiber typing is a muscle biopsy, which involves slicing out a small piece of muscle for analysis.
—
Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 12 Nov. 2024
The emergency biopsy yielded in March 2022 a diagnosis of a stage 2 invasive mammary carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
At the hepatology appointment, a healthcare provider will ask about your health and likely order imaging, including more blood tests, ultrasound, and possibly a liver biopsy.
—Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2024
Jenssen has struggled to get her daughter treated for Duchenne even after a muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis.
—Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for biopsy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 12 Nov. 2024
The emergency biopsy yielded in March 2022 a diagnosis of a stage 2 invasive mammary carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
At the hepatology appointment, a healthcare provider will ask about your health and likely order imaging, including more blood tests, ultrasound, and possibly a liver biopsy.
—Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2024
Jenssen has struggled to get her daughter treated for Duchenne even after a muscle biopsy confirmed the diagnosis.
—Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for biopsy
Dictionary Entries Near biopsy
Cite this Entry
“Biopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biopsy. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
biopsy
noun
bi·op·sy
ˈbī-ˌäp-sē
plural biopsies
: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body
Medical Definition
biopsy
1 of 2 noun
bi·op·sy
ˈbī-ˌäp-sē
plural biopsies
: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body
biopsy
2 of 2 transitive verb
biopsied; biopsying
: to perform a biopsy on
the intestinal polyps were removed and biopsied
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share