surgeon

noun

sur·​geon ˈsər-jən How to pronounce surgeon (audio)
plural surgeons
Synonyms of surgeonnext
: a medical specialist who practices surgery : a physician trained and qualified to perform surgical procedures

Examples of surgeon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The framework the surgeons built around it required formal disclosure of the atlas's origin to readers, to surgical teams, and to patients, along with bioethicist review and a memorial to the people depicted. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026 One worker, Natasha Miller, told NPR that a KODA supervisor was on the phone at the time, demanding that employees find another surgeon who would agree to carry out the retrieval. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026 Ballistic stretching beats static stretching for court sports, according to Jim Hsu, MD, a Yale Medicine orthopedic surgeon quoted by Yale New Haven Health. — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026 Bruce Moseley, an orthopedic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine, told AARP that stretching beforehand is the single most effective defense. — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surgeon

Word History

Etymology

Middle English surgien, from Anglo-French, alteration of cirurgien, from cirurgerie surgery

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surgeon was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing surgeon

Rhymes for surgeon

See All Rhymes for surgeon

Browse Nearby Words

surgent
surgeon
surgeon's agaric
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Surgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surgeon. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

surgeon

noun
sur·​geon ˈsər-jən How to pronounce surgeon (audio)
: a physician who specializes in surgery

Medical Definition

surgeon

noun
sur·​geon ˈsər-jən How to pronounce surgeon (audio)
1
: a medical specialist who practices surgery : a physician trained and qualified to perform surgical procedures
2
: the senior medical officer of a military unit

More from Merriam-Webster on surgeon

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for surgeon

Nglish: Translation of surgeon for Spanish Speakers

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