circumcision

American  

[sur-kuhm-sizh-uhn] / ˌsɜr kəmˈsɪʒ ən /

noun

circumcisions plural

1. an act, instance, or the rite of circumcising.

2. clitoridectomy.

3. spiritual purification.

4. (initial capital letter) a church festival in honor of the circumcision of Jesus, observed on January 1.

---

circumcision British  

/ ˌsɜːkəmˈsɪʒən /

noun

1. 1. surgical removal of the foreskin of males

   2. surgical incision into the skin covering the clitoris in females

   3. removal of the clitoris

2. the act of circumcision, performed as a religious rite by Jews and Muslims

3. RC Church the festival celebrated on Jan 1 in commemoration of the circumcision of Jesus

---

circumcision Cultural  

1. The surgical removal of the skin that covers the tip of the penis, usually performed soon after birth. Although circumcision is common in the United States, the procedure is no longer widely recommended as a medical necessity by physicians.

---

Discover More

Circumcision is performed as a religious ceremony by Jews (see also Jews) and Muslims.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• circumcisions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of circumcision

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Late Latin circumcīsiōn-, stem of circumcīsiō, equivalent to circumcise + -ion

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

circumcision circumcisions

He insists the row was not serious enough to dent his "amazing relationship" with Belgium -- throwing in a mildly off-colour joke about circumcision to drive home the point.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

In Belgium, circumcision is legal “when performed by a qualified physician under strict health and safety standards,” Prévot wrote on X.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

Non-therapeutic circumcision is the removal of the foreskin of male babies and young children for religious or cultural reasons, rather than medical reasons.

From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026

Kennedy’s comment about circumcision came during a White House Cabinet meeting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025

The issue of circumcision school never came up between me and my father, but there was no doubt that the incident had strained our relationship to a breaking point.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

White, in his Newsmax interview, raised the case of an investigation in Antwerp into circumcisions by a small number of mohels, Jewish specialists who perform circumcisions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

The reason, its authors wrote, was that “we had no data available on analgesics or possible local anesthetics used during ritual circumcisions in our cohort, so we were unable to address the paracetamol hypothesis directly.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025

King Edmonds said she is not Jewish, but decided to use a mohel, a person who performs circumcisions in the Jewish faith, to perform the procedure in her home.

From Fox News ● Jan. 7, 2020

"I've come across loads of grownups who've had circumcisions and not had a problem, but it's the fact that these two boys both experienced post-operative discomfort, bleeding, pain and infection," he said.

From BBC ● May 11, 2019

That’s because the circumcisions don’t take place every year.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola