surgeon
Americannoun
noun
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a medical practioner who specializes in surgery
-
a medical officer in the Royal Navy
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing surgeon
Occupations
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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.
Surgeon General advisory in 2023 said social media may have both negative and positive impacts on minors and called for additional research.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Surgeon General has described as a continuing crisis in child and adolescent mental health.
From Science Daily • Jun. 13, 2026
Surgeon General declared loneliness an epidemic in 2023, Stier’s group initiated an effort called Project Connection.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
The Surgeon General is supposed to provide Americans with “the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce their risk of illness and injury,” according to the HHS website.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
Surgeon Leigh Atkinson operated to see what was behind the tumor that had caused so many problems with my face.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Definitions 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.
