bladder

American  

[blad-er] / ˈblæd ər /

noun

• bladders
  plural

1. Anatomy, Zoology.

   1. a membranous sac or organ serving as a receptacle for a fluid or air.

   2. urinary bladder.

2. Pathology. a vesicle, blister, cyst, etc., filled with fluid or air.

3. Botany. an air-filled sac or float, as in certain seaweeds.

4. something resembling a bladder, as the inflatable lining of a football or basketball.

5. an air-filled sac, usually made to resemble a club, used for beatings in low comedy, vaudeville, or the like.

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bladder British  

/ ˈblædə /

noun

1. anatomy a distensible membranous sac, usually containing liquid or gas, esp the urinary bladder

2. an inflatable part of something

3. a blister, cyst, vesicle, etc, usually filled with fluid

4. a hollow vesicular or saclike part or organ in certain plants, such as the bladderwort or bladderwrack

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bladder Scientific  

/ blăd′ər /

1. A sac-shaped muscular organ that stores the urine secreted by the kidneys, found in all vertebrates except birds and the monotremes. In mammals, urine is carried from the kidneys to the bladder by the ureters and is later discharged from the body through the urethra.

2. An air bladder.

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bladder Cultural  

1. A stretchable saclike structure in the body that holds fluids. The term is used most often to refer to the urinary bladder, which is part of the excretory system. Another kind of bladder is the gallbladder.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bladderless
  adjective
• bladderlike
  adjective
• bladdery
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bladders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bladder

before 900; Middle English; Old English blǣddre, blǣdre bladder, blister, pimple; cognate with Old Norse blāthra, dialectal Dutch bladder, German Blatter; akin to blow ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bladder bladders

It can cause cognitive issues, difficulty walking and the loss of bladder control.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The result is especially notable because sharks lack the gas filled swim bladder found in many bony fish.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Tyra Biosciences and Johnson & Johnson are pursuing their own approaches to treating a common, early-stage form of bladder cancer.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

This NHS trial found that the Galeas urine test identified 92% of bladder cancer cases.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

I lost control of my bladder and flopped onto the floor in a puddle of my own urine.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

U.S. bases and installations throughout the Indo-Pacific—such as in Japan, the Philippines and Guam—are in desperate need of hardened aircraft shelters, air defenses, reinforced munitions storage bunkers and fuel bladders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

In Germany emerged so-called "Herod games" in which people would reportedly stage mock attacks on churches and assail bystanders with inflated animal bladders to ridicule the cruel absurdity of the Judean king.

From Salon ● Dec. 23, 2024

But this artistic rationale is being pushed to its limits - with audience bladders left bursting as directors are empowered like never before.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024

The stipe, or stem, attaches to the holdfast and supports the blades, which typically float in the water, thanks to air bladders.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 16, 2024

“Now here’s a sight to see,” he quipped as they were emptying their bladders, “a dwarf and a duck, making the mighty Rhoyne that much mightier.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

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