Pap smear

American  

[pap smeer] / ˈpæp ˈsmir /

noun

plural

Pap smears

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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Example Sentences

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

The company had failed to note signs of cancer in a routine Pap smear she underwent in 2011, and which was later found to have been positive.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2022

But with the Pap smear, doctors could detect precancerous cells and perform a hysterectomy, and cervical cancer would be almost entirely preventable.

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