surgery

American  

[sur-juh-ree] / ˈsɜr dʒə ri /

noun

• surgeries
  plural

1. the art, practice, or work of treating diseases, injuries, or deformities by manual or operative procedures.

2. the branch of medicine concerned with such treatment.

3. treatment, as an operation, performed by a surgeon.

4. a room or place for surgical operations.

5. British. a doctor's or dentist's office or office hours.

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surgery British  

/ ˈsɜːdʒərɪ /

noun

1. the branch of medicine concerned with treating disease, injuries, etc, by means of manual or operative procedures, esp by incision into the body

2. the performance of such procedures by a surgeon

3. a place where a doctor, dentist, etc, can be consulted

4. an occasion when an MP, lawyer, etc, is available for consultation

5. an operating theatre where surgical operations are performed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presurgery
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• surgeries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of surgery

1250–1300; Middle English surgerie < Old French cirurgerie chirurgery

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Explanation

Surgery is a medical procedure, usually involving an incision and instruments. A surgery is done to fix or prevent a health problem. There are a lot of kinds of surgery in the world. Some are very serious, like brain surgery and heart surgery. Others are minor, like getting your appendix removed. In most cases, you'll be unconscious for surgery, to make it easier for the surgeon to get the job done. You can also call the room where surgeries are done a surgery, and talk about the field of surgery.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surgery surgeries

The Pope was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma following surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

It is unclear whether Joel underwent the procedure, although the “Uptown Girl” singer initially postponed his concerts in March 2025 after undergoing unspecified surgery and physical therapy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

“In almost every case, it’d be better to avoid the surgery than to expose the patient to the risk of a botched operation.”

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

To investigate what happens inside the unconscious brain, Sheth, who is also a neurosurgeon at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, and his colleagues studied patients undergoing epilepsy surgery while under general anesthesia.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Had something gone wrong with Mr. Terupt’s surgery?

From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea

In terms of the South American trip, Venuta said that "generally, the rule is to avoid air travel for about 20 days following these surgeries, though there is obviously some flexibility."

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Steris said Monday the deal would expand its portfolio, adding consumable products used in surgeries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Cartilage samples collected during knee replacement surgeries responded to the treatment by beginning to produce new, functional cartilage.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Hospitals, GP surgeries, care homes and other healthcare facilities are also identified as high risk locations.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Through the years more people than I could have ever imagined began following my surgeries and my treatments and my visits to Saint Grace’s, sticking with me through my awkward braces phase and everything.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

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