surgeon

American  

[sur-juhn] / ˈsɜr dʒən /

noun

• surgeons
  plural

1. a physician who specializes in surgery.

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surgeon British  

/ ˈsɜːdʒən /

noun

1. a medical practioner who specializes in surgery

2. a medical officer in the Royal Navy

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• surgeons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of surgeon

1250–1300; Middle English surgien < Anglo-French, alteration of Old French cirurgien chirurgeon

Explanation

A surgeon is a kind of doctor who treats his patients by using his hands, often by performing surgery. If you're comfortable slicing into a person's body to remove an appendix, then you might make a decent surgeon. The word surgeon comes from the Greek kheirourgos, which is a fancy way of saying "done by the hand." Whereas a doctor-at-large might treat his patients by chatting with them, asking questions, and prescribing medications, a surgeon's work is much more hands-on, you might say. A surgeon specializes in cutting open the body, usually to heal his patients.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surgeon surgeons

James Gallagher visits a private clinic to find out about about the procedure, meets a man who has had it done, and chats to a surgeon who says he is dealing with the consequences when it goes wrong.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

And yet, we’re the first generation to receive a formal advisory on parental stress from the surgeon general.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

“That does become a little bit dangerous if the patients come in already thinking they know what the treatment should be without taking the expertise of the physician or surgeon into account,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Three-time cancer survivor and former surgeon Liz O'Riordan now uses YouTube to answer cancer questions and challenge conspiracy theories.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

The first day began with a complete medical and aviation history, followed by a comprehensive check-up by an internist or flight surgeon.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

There, a team of foetal and paediatric surgeons, led by Dr Michael Belfort, had been leading a first-of-its-kind clinical trial to repair complex gastroschisis before birth.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

It’s hard not to feel some kind of sympathy for Max, who sustained a severe brain injury while he was incarcerated that required surgeons to install a metal plate in his skull.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

"Many beauticians often have a little too much freedom. They think they have learned and, without being surgeons, sometimes perform surgical procedures," Kyrgyz plastic surgeon Iskender Kachkinbayev told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

“I was familiar with the surgeons that had gone to Gaza and had testified,” she said.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

Bliss sent for the expert surgeons, Agnew and Hamilton.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• expert
• physician
• professor
• scientist
• specialist