stethoscope

American  

[steth-uh-skohp] / ˈstɛθ əˌskoʊp /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. an instrument used in auscultation to convey sounds in the chest or other parts of the body to the ear of the examiner.

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stethoscope British  

/ ˈstɛθəˌskəʊp, stɛˈθɒskəpɪ, ˌstɛθəˈskɒpɪk /

noun

1. med an instrument for listening to the sounds made within the body, typically consisting of a hollow disc that transmits the sound through hollow tubes to earpieces

2. Also called: obstetric stethoscope.  a narrow cylinder expanded at both ends to recieve and transmit fetal sounds

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stethoscope Cultural  

1. An instrument used in listening to internal body sounds. Most familiarly, physicians and nurses use it to listen to heart sounds.

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Other Word Forms

• stethoscoped adjective
• stethoscopic adjective
• stethoscopist noun
• stethoscopy noun
• unstethoscoped adjective

Etymology

Origin of stethoscope

First recorded in 1810–20; stetho- + -scope

Example Sentences

The original stethoscope, invented in 1816, allows doctors to listen to the internal sounds of a patient's body.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

But the impact extended well beyond the stethoscope itself.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2025

“I’ll be replacing your doctor,” said the new man while abruptly applying a cold stethoscope.

From Slate • Mar. 23, 2025

Her stethoscope was still draped around her neck, and she was wearing raspberry-hued sneakers — comfortable enough for a 12-hour shift and, as she noted with characteristic emergency-medicine dark humor, good at camouflaging blood stains.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2024

Patrice immediately had his grimy old stethoscope out and laid it on the little ape’s chest.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer