plastic surgery

American  

noun

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

• plastic surgeon noun

Etymology

Origin of plastic surgery

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The crash also left him with severe facial injuries which required him to undergo experimental plastic surgery.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026

Why did a woman seemingly dependent on wigs, makeup and, eventually, plastic surgery seem so real and admirable to so many?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

Melinda Farina, a plastic surgery consultant and patient advocate known as the Beauty Broker, worries that social media is persuading a lot of younger women they need a bleph.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

Achieving great emotional depth, however, isn’t easy when wearing a plastic surgery mask of comedy.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025

We go to family parties not to bask in each other's presence but to whisper among ourselves about tacky dresses, botched plastic surgery, and disastrous haircuts and highlights.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

• breast implant
• cosmetic surgery
• liposuction