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
To get a clearer picture of how pollution impacts whale sharks, the researchers collected skin samples and tissue biopsies from the whale sharks and used underwater ultrasound scanners to gauge body condition.
—
Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Eventually, her father and stepmother convinced her to see a doctor, who told her to return to Canada for a muscle biopsy.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024
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
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Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Eventually, her father and stepmother convinced her to see a doctor, who told her to return to Canada for a muscle biopsy.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 3 Dec. 2024
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
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 21 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
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