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

Lowers the Risk of Gallbladder Disease Research shows that fiber intake is directly associated with a person's risk of gallbladder disease. —Kathi Valeii Published, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2025

These can range from relatively mild symptoms like nausea, diarrhea and dizziness to more serious effects like gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia, and pancreatitis. —New Atlas, 6 Mar. 2025

She’s freshly recovered from gallbladder surgery a few weeks prior, and her husband, Samuel L. Jackson, is in New Orleans, running lines for his surprise cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. —Soraya Nadia McDonald, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2025

What Causes Gallstones? Gallstones form when substances like cholesterol and bile salts harden into solid particles inside the gallbladder. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025

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