in vitro

American  

[in vee-troh] / ɪn ˈvi troʊ /

adverb

1. (of a biological process) made to occur in a laboratory vessel or other controlled experimental environment rather than within a living organism or natural setting.

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in vitro British  

/ ɪn ˈviːtrəʊ /

adverb

1. (of biological processes or reactions) made to occur outside the living organism in an artificial environment, such as a culture medium

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in vitro Scientific  

/ ĭnvē′trō /

1. In an artificial environment, such as a test tube.

2. Compare in vivo

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in vitro Cultural  

1. In the laboratory; literally, “in glass” (laboratory experiments are often carried out in glass containers). In vitro conditions are distinguished from conditions that actually apply in nature. (Compare in vivo.)

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Discover More

In vitro appears in the expression in vitro fertilization , a way of producing human embryos in a laboratory.

Etymology

Origin of in vitro

First recorded in 1890–95; from Latin in vitrō, literally, “in glass”

Compare meaning

How does in-vitro compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• in vivo vs. in vitro

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in vitro

Most of the existing evidence comes from animal models and in vitro experiments.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

The aim is to save animals from extinction by protecting the genetic diversity of species and using technologies such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilisation to keep healthy animal populations going.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Egg freezing involves stimulating the ovaries with hormone injections before mature eggs are surgically retrieved and preserved for possible future use through in vitro fertilization.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

In addition, we provided substantial financial help for in vitro fertilization when our daughter was trying to have this baby.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

When that didn’t work, he recommended we move to in vitro fertilization.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama