syringe

[ suh-rinj, sir-inj ]

/ səˈrɪndʒ, ˈsɪr ɪndʒ /

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noun

a small device consisting of a glass, metal, or hard rubber tube, narrowed at its outlet, and fitted with either a piston or a rubber bulb for drawing in a quantity of fluid or for ejecting fluid in a stream, for cleaning wounds, injecting fluids into the body, etc.

any similar device for pumping and spraying liquids through a small aperture.

verb (used with object), sy·ringed, sy·ring·ing.

to cleanse, wash, inject, etc., by means of a syringe.

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Origin of syringe

1375–1425; new singular formed from Late Latin sȳringēs, plural of sȳrinxsyrinx; replacing late Middle English syring<Medieval Latin syringa

OTHER WORDS FROM syringe

sy·ringe·ful, adjectiveun·syr·inged, adjective

Words nearby syringe

Syriac, Syrian, Syrian Desert, Syrian hamster, syringa, syringe, syringeal, syringomyelia, syrinx, Syro-, Syros

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use syringe in a sentence

One muggy day in July, when a young horse trainer in a patterned shirt and trucker hat sauntered onto the track with a syringe in hand, fans crowded the rail to get a glimpse.
A horse track with no rules|Gus Garcia-Roberts|August 5, 2022|Washington Post
All the team had to do was stab a syringe into a dead spider’s back and superglue it in place.
Scientists turned dead spiders into robots|Asa Stahl|August 4, 2022|Science News
That means repeatedly finding a safe place, acquiring a clean syringe, and worrying about overdose risk.
Xylazine, a Dangerous Veterinary Tranquilizer, Is Showing Us the Future of the Overdose Crisis|Philippe Bourgois|April 6, 2022|Time
They slowly dripped liquid out of a syringe pump onto the mask until it became damp, then tracked how the layers of droplets interacted with the material using a high-speed camera that recorded the impact at 4,000 frames per second.
Your damp or sweaty mask still works fine|Elana Spivack|December 7, 2021|Popular-Science

After the staff filled him with saline and a syringe full of glucose — which he describes as feeling like fire as it coursed through his veins to his heart — he returned to the hunger strike.
Five young people stopped eating to get grown-ups to start addressing the climate crisis|Theresa Vargas|November 3, 2021|Washington Post
And no human development, no magic pill, no sterile syringe, can change that.
What Happens to the Death Penalty When Lethal Injection Isn’t Quick and Painless?|Andrew Cohen|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despairing, Brody picks up the syringe the doctor has left for him—and injects the heroin the doctor left alongside it.
Damian Lewis Spills On ‘Homeland’s’ Shocking Plot Twist and Brody’s Return|Andrew Romano|October 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They studied the packages carefully, searching for syringe marks or suspicious powders.
Seattle Police Hand Out Doritos at Hempfest|Winston Ross|August 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
After the syringe-swapping incident, there was a federal review of the medication security policies at Rose.
Doctor Accused of Infecting Patients With Hepatitis C Breaks Silence|Carol McKinley|February 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A man was restraining him from behind while, to his horror, he said, he saw another leaning in to jab a syringe into his arm.
Egypt’s Vanished: Victims of State Security Force Kidnappings?|Alastair Beach|September 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He must have been brought awake by a stimulant, for a white-coated figure was beside him, holding a hypodermic syringe.
Security|Poul William Anderson
By inserting a wooden rod and valve, this tube would be converted into a powerful syphon, or syringe.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft
But he quickly filled the syringe, and prepared to repeat the former operation.
Paul Patoff|F. Marion Crawford
It is wise not to use an ordinary fountain syringe as the oil spoils the rubber very quickly.
The Mother and Her Child|William S. Sadler
The pail was raised, and the syringe pointed, when the hall door opened, and Mr Grave walked in!
Hudson Bay|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for syringe

syringe

/ (ˈsɪrɪndʒ, sɪˈrɪndʒ) /

noun

med an instrument, such as a hypodermic syringe or a rubber ball with a slender nozzle, for use in withdrawing or injecting fluids, cleaning wounds, etc

any similar device for injecting, spraying, or extracting liquids by means of pressure or suction

verb

(tr) to cleanse, inject, or spray with a syringe

Word Origin for syringe

C15: from Late Latin, from Latin: syrinx

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

Scientific definitions for syringe

syringe

[ sə-rĭnj′ ]

A medical instrument used to inject fluids into the body or draw them from it. Syringes have several different forms. Bulb syringes are usually made of rubber and work by squeezing the bulb to expel a fluid from it, as in ear irrigation. Needle syringes have hypodermic needles attached to plastic or glass tubes that contain plungers to create force or suction.