Meaning & use
circumcise
Last updated
Meaning
verbtransitive
To surgically remove the foreskin from a penis, often for religious, cultural, or medical reasons.
Grammar: Takes an object: circumcise a baby. Often used in the passive: he was circumcised as a baby.
Patterns
- circumcise someone
- be circumcised
In some religions, boys are circumcised shortly after birth.
The doctor circumcised the infant for medical reasons.
He was circumcised as a baby, following family tradition.
Word forms
| third person singular | circumcises |
|---|---|
| past tense | circumcised |
| past participle | circumcised |
| -ing form | circumcising |
Common combinations
- circumcise a baby
- They decided to circumcise the baby in the hospital.
- be circumcised for medical reasons
- He was circumcised for medical reasons as a child.
- ritually circumcise
- The community ritually circumcises boys at age eight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cut
- Informal and sometimes offensive when used for this procedure; avoid unless you are sure of the context.
Opposites
Word family
- circumcision noun
- The surgical removal of the foreskin.
- circumcised adjective
- Having had the foreskin removed.
- uncircumcised adjective
- Not having had the foreskin removed.
Commonly confused: circumcise or circumscribe?
circumcise vs circumscribe
Means to limit or restrict something, or to draw a line around a shape; it has nothing to do with surgery.
Practice
In some cultures, boys ___ as infants.
Choose one answer.
The passive voice is needed because the boys receive the action: 'are circumcised'. The active form 'circumcise' would mean the boys perform the action themselves, which is not the intended meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “circumcise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.