kidney stone

American  

noun

Pathology.

kidney stones plural

1. an abnormal stone, or concretion, composed primarily of oxalates and phosphates, found in the kidney.

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kidney stone British  

noun

1. Also called: renal calculus.  pathol a hard mass formed in the kidney, usually composed of oxalates, phosphates, and carbonates

2. mineralogy another name for nephrite

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kidney stone Scientific  

1. A calculus that originates in the kidney and is usually composed of calcium salts, uric acid, cystine, and other compounds. Kidney stones cause extreme pain and bleeding if they obstruct the passage of urine in the kidney or in the ureter. They can often be treated with lithotripsy .

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• kidney stones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kidney stone

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kidney stone

The kidney stone measured between two and three centimetres and had been caused, Ginger was told, by the cocktail of daily supplements she was taking.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

In the meantime, the stoics among us will just wait until this too shall pass — like a bad kidney stone.

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2026

I prayed to be anywhere else, like maybe at the hospital passing a kidney stone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

Drinking eight cups of water a day significantly decreased the likelihood of getting another kidney stone.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 26, 2024

My mother used to get them too, and I remember she told me once she’d rather give birth than pass a kidney stone.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini