biopsy
noun
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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
Se Eun Gong, NPR, 15 Sep. 2024
Researchers used various methods—including tongue strips with different concentrations of the four basic tastes, tongue tissue biopsies, and MRI brain scans—to study changes in taste sensitivity, taste bud gene expression, and brain responses to sweets.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 13 June 2024
There was a significant dip in other groups: 55% returned for subsequent screening after a false positive and a recommendation for short-interval follow-up, and 61% of those with a false positive who were told to get a biopsy went on for future breast cancer screening.
—Tina Reed, Axios, 4 Sep. 2024
During the procedure, the doctors took biopsies and excavated the debris from my esophagus.
—Rachel S. Hunt, Washington Post, 6 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for biopsy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biopsy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Biopsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biopsy. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
biopsy
noun
Medical Definition
biopsy
1 of 2 noun
biopsy
2 of 2 transitive verb
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