surgery

American  

[sur-juh-ree] / ˈsɜr dʒə ri /

noun

plural

surgeries

1. the art, practice, or work of treating diseases, injuries, or deformities by manual or operative procedures.

2. the branch of medicine concerned with such treatment.

3. treatment, as an operation, performed by a surgeon.

4. a room or place for surgical operations.

5. British. a doctor's or dentist's office or office hours.

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surgery British  

/ ˈsɜːdʒərɪ /

noun

1. the branch of medicine concerned with treating disease, injuries, etc, by means of manual or operative procedures, esp by incision into the body

2. the performance of such procedures by a surgeon

3. a place where a doctor, dentist, etc, can be consulted

4. an occasion when an MP, lawyer, etc, is available for consultation

5. an operating theatre where surgical operations are performed

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Other Word Forms

• presurgery adjective

Etymology

Origin of surgery

1250–1300; Middle English surgerie < Old French cirurgerie chirurgery

Example Sentences

Rolling Stone didn’t say where Gadson died or specify a cause but said the drummer’s wife, Barbara, had confirmed the news; she told the magazine that Gadson had experienced a fall recently and undergone surgery.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Club record £125m signing Isak has been ruled out since December, having fractured his leg and had ankle surgery.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

These platforms don’t need beauty filters that show 12-year-olds what they’d look like after cosmetic surgery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Since their invention in the 1960s, lasers have transformed both science and daily life, powering everything from grocery store scanners to vision-correcting surgery.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

On the day of the surgery, Jimmie and I woke up and prayed.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson