surgery

American  

[sur-juh-ree] / ˈsɜr dʒə ri /

noun

surgeries plural

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

Explanation

Surgery is a medical procedure, usually involving an incision and instruments. A surgery is done to fix or prevent a health problem. There are a lot of kinds of surgery in the world. Some are very serious, like brain surgery and heart surgery. Others are minor, like getting your appendix removed. In most cases, you'll be unconscious for surgery, to make it easier for the surgeon to get the job done. You can also call the room where surgeries are done a surgery, and talk about the field of surgery.

Example Sentences

Aidan Martinez, who missed 2025 after Tommy John surgery, throws the heat for two strikeouts.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

After Esme was discharged in February, the family was in and out of hospital regularly and a big focus was helping her gain enough weight to be able to have surgery.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

The different ways of accessing breast reduction surgery - whether on the NHS, privately, or abroad - are widely documented across social media.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

For some participants, one of the most appealing parts of the approach was that it did not require pills, surgery, braces, or a device worn all day.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2026

He had wanted to enlist in the army, to fight in World War I, but he had been barred because of a recent surgery.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann