plastic surgery

American  

noun

• plastic surgeries
  plural

1. the branch of surgery dealing with the repair or replacement of malformed, injured, or lost organs or tissues of the body, chiefly by the transplant of living tissues.

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plastic surgery British  

noun

1. Also called: anaplasty. the branch of surgery concerned with therapeutic or cosmetic repair or re-formation of missing, injured, or malformed tissues or parts

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plastic surgery Scientific  

1. The branch of surgery that deals with the remodeling, repair, or restoration of body parts, especially by the transfer of tissue.

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plastic surgery Cultural  

1. Surgery that repairs or reconstructs a body part. Plastic surgery is used to correct physical defects and to rebuild parts of the body that have been damaged by trauma or disease. Some examples of plastic surgery are breast reconstruction for women who have undergone a mastectomy and skin grafting for burn victims.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plastic surgeon
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plastic surgeries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of plastic surgery

First recorded in 1830–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plastic surgery

Previously, plastic surgery had attempted to reconstruct "some semblance of an ear" using skin and tissue taken from other parts of his body, but the results could not replicate the shape of a natural ear.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

“Extreme Makeover” had also been airing since 2002, showing ordinary men and women undergoing plastic surgery, receiving style makeovers and adopting fitness routines.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026

But, contra a nightmare scenario, not everyone is getting plastic surgery.

From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026

Dolly Parton, a national treasure whose country music career married grit and wit, faith and sex appeal, virtuosity and plastic surgery, has died.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

Clothes, vacations, plastic surgery, telescopes, traveling circuses, radioactive spiders, trips to the moon, and then the suggestions got weird.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

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Related Words

• breast implant
• cosmetic surgery
• liposuction

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