forceps
Americannoun
-
forceps,
plural
-
forcipes
plural
-
an instrument, as pincers or tongs, for seizing and holding objects, as in surgical operations.
-
Anatomy, Zoology. a part or feature resembling a forceps, especially a pair of appendages at the posterior of certain insects.
noun
-
-
a surgical instrument in the form of a pair of pincers, used esp in the delivery of babies
-
( as modifier )
a forceps baby
-
-
any pincer-like instrument
-
any part or structure of an organism shaped like a forceps
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of forceps
1625–35; < Latin: pair of tongs, pincers, said to be a contraction of *formiceps, equivalent to form ( us ) warm + -i- -i- + -ceps -taker, derivative of capere to take ( cf. prince), i.e., that which takes hot things; compare, however, forpex, forfex tongs, shears, from which forceps may have been formed by folk etymology
Compare meaning
How does forceps compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To insert an IUD, a clinician opens the vagina using a speculum and grips the cervix with a type of forceps, which can cause a sudden, sharp pain.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2026
Never mind all the newborns rolled out and swaddled like Christmas tamales, or the forceps deliveries that resemble tooth extractions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
Ava-Lea's heart rate then deteriorated, and Ms Wootton agreed to an assisted birth, and her daughter was delivered with the help of forceps.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2024
Estimates vary but around 50% of people who have had babies experience some degree of prolapse and the use of forceps or a vacuum during birth increases the risk.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2024
He used a local anaesthetic called something or other “snow,” which froze the tissue and avoided pain until the probe, the scalpel or the forceps got below the frozen portion.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
