biopsy
noun
bi·op·sy
ˈbī-ˌäp-sē 
plural biopsies
: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body
biopsy
transitive verb
Did you know?
Matter examined in a biopsy is always taken from a living organism. Most biopsies are done by using a needle to extract tissue or fluid, but some may instead require cutting, and others may amount to nothing more than swabbing the inside of the patient's cheek. Biopsies are best known as a means of detecting cancer, but a doctor may also take a biopsy of heart muscle to investigate suspected heart disease, for example, or perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman to test for disorders in the fetus.
Examples of biopsy in a Sentence
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In addition to IUDs, the new device is poised to reduce pain across an array of fertility and gynecological procedures, including hysteroscopies, embryo transfers, intrauterine inseminations (IUI), fallopian tube patency assessments, and endometrial biopsies.
—
Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Harris had a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound, and then a biopsy.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 27 Oct. 2025
One way to assess possible malignancy is irregularity of a growth, speed of growth, localized lymph node metastasis as evidenced by enlargement of the nodes, and more but there is no substitute for an FNA or removal and biopsy.
—Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The symptoms didn’t subside, so Emilia underwent a CT scan, an MRI, and a biopsy throughout August, before being given a devastating diagnosis.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
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Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Harris had a mammogram, followed by an ultrasound, and then a biopsy.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 27 Oct. 2025
One way to assess possible malignancy is irregularity of a growth, speed of growth, localized lymph node metastasis as evidenced by enlargement of the nodes, and more but there is no substitute for an FNA or removal and biopsy.
—Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The symptoms didn’t subside, so Emilia underwent a CT scan, an MRI, and a biopsy throughout August, before being given a devastating diagnosis.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for biopsy
Cite this Entry
“Biopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biopsy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
biopsy
noun
bi·op·sy
ˈbī-ˌäp-sē
plural biopsies
: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body
Medical Definition
biopsy
1 of 2 noun
bi·op·sy
ˈbī-ˌäp-sē
plural biopsies
: the removal and examination of tissue, cells, or fluids from the living body
biopsy
2 of 2 transitive verb
biopsied; biopsying
: to perform a biopsy on
the intestinal polyps were removed and biopsied
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