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colonoscopy

American  
[koh-luh-nos-kuh-pee] / ˌkoʊ ləˈnɒs kə pi /

noun

Medicine/Medical.
colonoscopies plural
  1. visual inspection of the interior of the colon with a flexible, lighted tube inserted through the rectum.


colonoscopy Scientific  
/ kō′lə-nŏskə-pē /
  1. Inspection of the interior surface of the colon with a flexible endoscope that is equipped to obtain tissue samples and inserted through the rectum.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of colonoscopy

First recorded in 1900–05; colon 2 ( def. ) + -o- ( def. ) + -scopy ( def. )

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:

Imagine going to the doctor for a colonoscopy and leaving with a complete view not just of your gut or colon-cancer risk, but of your overall health status.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 14, 2026

Worrying about costs is one explanation why people don’t get screened for colon cancer, but there are several other reasons why someone may avoid getting a colonoscopy or doing a stool test.

From MarketWatch Jun. 4, 2026

That’s why the gold standard is a colonoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure that uses a scope with a camera to examine the large intestine’s lining for precancerous or cancerous polyps.

From MarketWatch Jun. 4, 2026

Rachel, who does not want the BBC to use her surname, said an indentation in her abdomen had been picked up during a regular colonoscopy for another condition.

From BBC Apr. 8, 2026

A year later, he went back to the same doctor for a colonoscopy.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The same AI pattern-recognition that’s learning to spot breast tumors is being applied to thyroid screening, lung nodule detection and colonoscopies.

From The Wall Street Journal May 4, 2026

In practice, this type of test could be used for routine screening, with colonoscopies reserved for confirming positive cases.

From Science Daily Apr. 9, 2026

A lower level would mean more people being referred for colonoscopies to help diagnose or rule out bowel cancer.

From BBC Mar. 31, 2026

Exact’s Cologuard is the first non-invasive at-home test for colorectal cancer, allowing some people to bypass invasive and time-consuming colonoscopies as part of their routine care.

From MarketWatch Nov. 20, 2025

Still, when he confirmed the bad news, the Daytime Emmy winner — who already did routine colonoscopies — couldn’t believe it.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 31, 2025

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