suture
Americannoun
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sutures
plural
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Surgery.
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a joining of the lips or edges of a wound or the like by stitching or some similar process.
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a particular method of doing this.
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one of the stitches or fastenings employed.
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Anatomy.
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the line of junction of two bones, especially of the skull, in an immovable articulation.
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the articulation itself.
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Zoology, Botany. the junction or line of junction of contiguous parts, as the line of closure between the valves of a bivalve shell, a seam where carpels of a pericarp join, etc.
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a seam as formed in sewing; a line of junction between two parts.
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a sewing together or a joining as by sewing.
verb (used with object)
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sutures,
present (3rd person singular)
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sutured,
past participle, past
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suturing
present participle
noun
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surgery
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catgut, silk thread, or wire used to stitch together two bodily surfaces
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Also called: seam. the surgical seam formed after joining two surfaces
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anatomy a type of immovable joint, esp between the bones of the skull ( cranial suture )
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a seam or joining, as in sewing
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zoology a line of junction in a mollusc shell, esp the line between adjacent chambers of a nautiloid shell
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botany a line marking the point of dehiscence in a seed pod or capsule
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suturesimple
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suturessimple
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have suturedperfect
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has suturedperfect
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am suturingprogressive
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are suturingprogressive
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is suturingprogressive
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have been suturingperfect progressive
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has been suturingperfect progressive
Past
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suturedsimple
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had suturedperfect
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was suturingprogressive
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were suturingprogressive
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had been suturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suture
1535–45; < Latin sūtūra seam, suture, equivalent to sūt ( us ) (past participle of suere to sew 1 ) + -ūra -ure
Explanation
If your energetic dog gets his paws on your beloved teddy bear, and you don’t realize it until it’s too late, you might have to use a needle and thread to suture Teddy’s left arm back onto his body. Derived from the Latin sutura, which means “a sewing together,” the word suture can function as both a verb and a noun. Teddy’s situation aside, this word almost always refers to stitches performed on the human body. To suture is to stitch up a wound or incision. When used as a noun, it can refer to either the thread used for the stitching or the seam that is created by this process.
Vocabulary lists containing suture
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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National Nurses Week: Tasks and Equipment
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Derek Walcott (1930-2017) Tribute List
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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.
See Examples For:
The surgeon was also known for developing the B-Lynch brace suture, a life-saving technique for severe postpartum haemorrhage that helped save the lives of mothers across the world, Josh added.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
“He and I are both doing the same thing, same philosophy, in adding braided suture to repair and enhance the existing torn ligament as well as putting in the new graft,” ElAttrache said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
Veterinarians rehydrate it with saline solution before surgery, then lay it over a dog's corneal lesion and suture it into place, where it acts as scaffolding for regenerating cells.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 1, 2023
The unexpected finding led the team to hypothesize that another type of bone-forming stem cell was driving the abnormal suture fusion.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2023
Though he wasn’t supposed to suture anyone, he’d practiced stitching on pigs’ feet till his hands ached, till each stitch was tight and A-plus perfect.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Cuba’s once highly regarded medical services have deteriorated, so Mariño has bought all her own medical supplies for the birth of her daughter, including sutures and surgical tape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
He had 28-day-old sutures he contemplated removing himself because they itched so badly.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
The sutures remained tight and painful weeks after the birth, she wrote in the medical board complaint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2024
Already researchers have harnessed spider silk for a biomedical and engineering uses as sutures and scaffolding for regrowing tissue.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 12, 2024
I’ve lost my composure in front of a stranger, and ripped open the sutures of my Bas-shaped wound, all over again, because they never seem to heal.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
The team ruptured then sutured the Achilles tendon of lab rats.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
Polzin has since made over 100 similar works: He regards the awkward results, which he calls “reunificated furniture,” as a metaphor for his hastily sutured country.
From New York Times ● Feb. 13, 2023
Once sedated, it was transported to a veterinary practice at Birtley where it underwent X-rays and a wound suffered when it had attempted to escape the trap was cleaned and sutured.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2022
When this happens, doctors may recommend surgical treatments, such as a heart transplant or implantation of mechanical pumps that are sutured into the patient’s heart to help pump blood throughout the body.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2022
He removed a section of both fallopian tubes, tied the ends of the tubes, and sutured them shut.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
In the medical area, adhesives play a crucial role, from suturing internal wounds to attaching sensors and implanting medical devices.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 13, 2024
“He was suturing in his sleep,” she says.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023
Some involve injecting cardiomyocytes into the heart wall, others require suturing patches made from cells directly onto the heart.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
The average prepper has a few antibiotics, bandages and suturing kits in their stores, along with a field medicine manual.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2022
She bought an oxygen tank in case a baby came out and couldn’t breathe, and she took a suturing class so she could stitch the women who tore.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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