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-nŏs′kə-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

• colonoscopic
  adjective
• colonoscopically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• colonoscopies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of colonoscopy

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

colonoscopy colonoscopies

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