Meaning & use

biopsy

noun·Academic

A medical procedure that removes a small sample of tissue for laboratory examination.

See it in a sentence

The doctor ordered a biopsy of the lump to check whether the cells were cancerous.

Results from the skin biopsy came back a week later and showed no abnormal growth.

A note on using this word

Biopsy can also be used as a verb, as in 'the doctor biopsied the tissue,' though the noun form is more common.

Words with a similar meaning

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Another way to use it

2. verb

To remove and examine a tissue sample from a patient to diagnose disease.

The surgeon biopsied the growth immediately after noticing its irregular shape.

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