mesothelioma

American

[mez-uh-thee-lee-oh-muh, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˌθi liˈoʊ mə, ˌmɛs-, ˈmi zə-, -sə- /

noun

Pathology.

a malignant tumor of the covering of the lung or the lining of the pleural and abdominal cavities, often associated with exposure to asbestos.

mesothelioma British

/ ˌmɛzəʊˌθiːlɪˈəʊmə /

noun

a tumour of the epithelium lining the lungs, abdomen, or heart: often associated with exposure to asbestos dust

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of mesothelioma

First recorded in 1905–10; mesotheli(um) + -oma

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.

Asbestos lawsuits have helped to provide some compensation to mesothelioma victims.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

More than 70,000 people have died across Britain since the 1980s from mesothelioma, with more than 5,000 deaths recorded across the North East.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Payouts to mesothelioma victims can top $1 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

Earlier this year a Los Angeles County jury hit Johnson & Johnson with a $966 million judgment in a lawsuit claiming the company’s baby powder gave a woman mesothelioma, which she died of in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Over 3,000 complainants claim baby powder use between 1965 and 2023 caused diseases like ovarian cancer and mesothelioma.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

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