amputation
Americannoun
-
the act or instance of surgically removing a limb or part of a limb.
-
the act of removing something by cutting, as if by surgery.
-
a disability caused by the loss of a limb or part of a limb.
-
Medicine/Medical. any absence or loss of a limb or part of a limb, whether congenitally or due to surgery or disease.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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:
Former Kaiser CEO George Halvorson has written that if a diabetic in a Medicare Advantage plan requires a foot amputation, that will likely cost the plan $100,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
All we’re doing is increasing the likelihood of an above-the-knee amputation.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Although the regenerated tissues were not exact matches to the original anatomy, the researchers successfully restored all of the major structures that had been removed during amputation, including bone, tendon, ligament, and joint tissue.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026
One study of post-surgery outcomes found that only about one-third of patients were able to return to work after the amputation surgery, despite an average age of 54.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Her finger had found little hard lumps there, and Tariq had told her they were spurs of bone that sometimes grew after an amputation.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
In Medicare Advantage, the number of amputations is a tiny fraction of that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Across the U.S., diabetes complications are responsible for roughly 80% of all non-trauma related amputations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Around the world, more than 1 million amputations occur every year due to diabetes-related vascular disease, traumatic injuries, infections, and cancer, according to Global Burden of Disease statistics.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
The outcomes measured included heart attacks, strokes, cardiac-related deaths, and vascular related amputations.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 2026
Union general Carl Schurz witnessed amputations being performed at a field hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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.
