hysterectomy

American

[his-tuh-rek-tuh-mee] / ˌhɪs təˈrɛk tə mi /

noun

Surgery.

excision of the uterus.

hysterectomy British

/ ˌhɪstəˈrɛktəmɪ /

noun

surgical removal of the uterus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hysterectomy Scientific

/ hĭs′tə-rĕk′tə-mē /

Surgical removal of part or all of the uterus.

hysterectomy Cultural

The surgical removal of all or part of the uterus.

Etymology

Origin of hysterectomy

First recorded in 1885–90; hyster- + -ectomy

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.

She said she felt she had no option but to undergo a hysterectomy privately.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Frozen shoulder was how I discovered I was in perimenopause because I was not told by my doctor who performed my hysterectomy that this could happen.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

Lee’s mom sewed children’s clothes at a textile plant before dying of complications from a hysterectomy at 35 when Lee was 16.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Kate Dyson, 44, from Hastings, underwent the surgery six months ago after having a subtotal hysterectomy just over four years ago to remove her uterus - a procedure which leaves the cervix in place.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025

She had given birth to three children by the time she was eighteen, before her parents arranged for a hysterectomy.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023