surgeon
Americannoun
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surgeons
plural
noun
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a medical practioner who specializes in surgery
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a medical officer in the Royal Navy
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of surgeon
1250–1300; Middle English surgien < Anglo-French, alteration of Old French cirurgien chirurgeon
Explanation
A surgeon is a kind of doctor who treats his patients by using his hands, often by performing surgery. If you're comfortable slicing into a person's body to remove an appendix, then you might make a decent surgeon. The word surgeon comes from the Greek kheirourgos, which is a fancy way of saying "done by the hand." Whereas a doctor-at-large might treat his patients by chatting with them, asking questions, and prescribing medications, a surgeon's work is much more hands-on, you might say. A surgeon specializes in cutting open the body, usually to heal his patients.
Vocabulary lists containing surgeon
Occupations
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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.
See Examples For:
"It's a precise guide for the surgeon during the operation, and then a targeted clean-up treatment afterward."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dr. Aaron Rollins, a celebrity plastic surgeon who was building a home on the island, got frustrated after four years of failed efforts to receive membership to the club.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Their father, David, who played football at Dartmouth and became an orthopedic surgeon, welcomed the competition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
In addition, half of the six UK heart and lung transplantation centres have lost their top surgeon in the past two years, as the medics seek opportunities abroad.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
“He’s pretty far gone,” said Enoch, appraising Martin as a surgeon might assess an all-but-hopeless patient.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
That makes complete surgical removal extremely challenging because surgeons must avoid damaging healthy areas of the brain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
When asked why he feels comfortable offering procedures that are concerning surgeons, Hussain says he "totally understands" why some are worried.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
"I was in control of what was happening, which I really appreciated from my surgeons," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
In several markets reviewed by Elevance, surgeons performing spinal procedures are typically reimbursed $7,000 to $12,000, while out-of-network neurologists remotely monitoring them are winning upwards of $40,000 in arbitration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The psychologist Nalini Ambady listened to Levinson’s tapes, zeroing in on the conversations that had been recorded between just surgeons and their patients.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
