surgery

noun

sur·​gery ˈsər-jə-rē 

ˈsərj-

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

But the weight of a storied franchise’s championship hopes is a heavy burden to bear for a player coming off two surgeries to the same ankle in one season. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025

Patients will be randomized into two groups, patients in one will receive surgery followed by conventional chemotherapy treatment and the other will receive surgery, a personalized mRNA vaccine and also an immune checkpoint inhibitor drug to aid the immune response after the vaccine. —Victoria Forster, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025

Franciscan Health Crown Point earns national notice Franciscan Health Crown Point has been recognized as being in the top 100 in the nation for medical excellence in major cardiac surgery and coronary bypass surgery by CareChex® Awards by BluCareChex Quantros, a release said. —Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025

Health will be key for Helsley, who missed time because of knee surgery in 2021 and a forearm strain in 2023. —Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 22 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for surgery

• perjury
• cryosurgery
• microsurgery
• neurosurgery
• psychosurgery
• radiosurgery

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