amputation
Americannoun
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the act or instance of surgically removing a limb or part of a limb.
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the act of removing something by cutting, as if by surgery.
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a disability caused by the loss of a limb or part of a limb.
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Medicine/Medical. any absence or loss of a limb or part of a limb, whether congenitally or due to surgery or disease.
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.
Lindsey Vonn is less than two months removed from a skiing accident at the Milan-Cortina Olympics that almost resulted in the amputation of her left leg.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
In a video shared on Monday, she explained her numerous injuries and the surgery that allowed her to avoid an amputation.
From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026
With the man on death’s door, Woodhall was loath to operate; after all, amputation was dangerous business.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
They also allege a failure to adequately treat their father's initial toe infection, which they say led to the unnecessary amputation of his leg.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
It makes it easy to forget that she’s had to go through an amputation and rehabilitation too.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
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.
