Pap smear

American  

[pap smeer] / ˈpæp ˈsmir /

noun

Pap smears plural

1. Medicine/Medical. a sample of cells taken from the cervix or vagina, which is then examined for pathological characteristics to screen for cervical cancer or other diseases.

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Pap smear Scientific  

/ păp /

1. A screening test, especially for cervical cancer, in which a smear of cells scraped from the cervix or vagina is treated with a chemical stain and examined under a microscope for pathological changes. Pap smears are performed routinely during gynecological exams.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Pap smears
  plural

Example Sentences

HHS recommends women ages 21 through 65 get screened for cervical cancer with a Pap smear every three years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

Akimbee Burns had a Pap smear at a community health center in Georgia that showed abnormal cells.

From Salon • Nov. 28, 2022

Figure 4.4 These uterine cervix cells, viewed through a light microscope, were obtained from a Pap smear.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

He also offered to do a Pap smear, which is usually performed by a gynecologist to check for cervical cancer.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2021

But with the Pap smear, doctors could detect precancerous cells and perform a hysterectomy, and cervical cancer would be almost entirely preventable.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot