Pap smear

American  

[pap smeer] / ˈpæp ˈsmir /

noun

Pap smears plural

1. Medicine/Medical. a sample of cells taken from the cervix or vagina, which is then examined for pathological characteristics to screen for cervical cancer or other diseases.

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Pap smear Scientific  

/ păp /

1. A screening test, especially for cervical cancer, in which a smear of cells scraped from the cervix or vagina is treated with a chemical stain and examined under a microscope for pathological changes. Pap smears are performed routinely during gynecological exams.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Pap smears
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pap smear

HHS recommends women ages 21 through 65 get screened for cervical cancer with a Pap smear every three years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

“Every aspect of healthcare here in Alabama to me is 20 years back,” Smith, who is from Ohio, said as she waited in an exam room for a Pap smear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2023

Akimbee Burns had a Pap smear at a community health center in Georgia that showed abnormal cells.

From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2022

She became an advocate for women after a botched Pap smear that exposed one of the biggest medical scandals in Irish history.

From New York Times ● Nov. 17, 2022

Diagnosing carcinoma in situ had only been possible since 1941, when George Papanicolaou, a Greek researcher, published a paper describing a test he’d developed, now called the Pap smear.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot