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)
Examples of polyp in a Sentence
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The benefit of the colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy over the CT colonography is that if a precancerous polyp is seen, it could be removed during the procedure to prevent it from developing into cancer in the future.
—
Katia Hetter, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
The polyps have a high likelihood of becoming colon cancer by the time these patients reach their mid to late 40s, but the screening rate is the lowest among people in this age group.
—Team Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2025
In expansion, individual polyps deposit calcium carbonate beneath their bodies in a cuplike shape, which enlarges as the polyp grows.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025
By the time Ricciardi finally volunteered himself for the procedure two years later (concerned about the blood that kept dribbling out of his ass), the polyps that a doctor might have found during an earlier examination had grown into a fist-sized mass and metastasized throughout his liver.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
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Katia Hetter, CNN, 21 Mar. 2025
The polyps have a high likelihood of becoming colon cancer by the time these patients reach their mid to late 40s, but the screening rate is the lowest among people in this age group.
—Team Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 13 Mar. 2025
In expansion, individual polyps deposit calcium carbonate beneath their bodies in a cuplike shape, which enlarges as the polyp grows.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2025
By the time Ricciardi finally volunteered himself for the procedure two years later (concerned about the blood that kept dribbling out of his ass), the polyps that a doctor might have found during an earlier examination had grown into a fist-sized mass and metastasized throughout his liver.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for polyp
Cite this Entry
“Polyp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polyp. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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