stent

American

[stent] / stɛnt /

noun

Medicine/Medical. a small, expandable tube used for inserting in a blocked vessel or other part.

stent British

/ stɛnt /

noun

med a tube of plastic or sprung metal mesh placed inside a hollow tube to reopen it or keep it open; uses in surgery include preventing a blood vessel from closing, esp after angioplasty, and assisting healing after an anastomosis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of stent

First recorded in 1960–65; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I’ve got a heart stent and an artificial hip.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

A stent is a small tube that helps open up a blocked artery.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025

Clarkson, who presents the TV programme Clarkson's Farm, said he went to hospital in an ambulance and had a stent fitted, which opens up narrowed or blocked arteries.

From BBC • Oct. 19, 2024

A stent was inserted during the surgery, the campaign said.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2024

There, Bhalla performed angioplasty and implanted a stent.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023