ostomy

noun

os·​to·​my ˈä-stə-mē How to pronounce ostomy (audio)
plural ostomies
: an operation (such as a colostomy) to create an artificial passage for bodily elimination

Examples of ostomy 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 stool passes through the ileum into an ostomy pouch that attaches to the stoma outside your body. — Lindsay Curtis, Health, 31 Dec. 2024 With input from oncology, a plan was made to remove all of her colon and rectum, create a temporary ostomy, adjust her diet, and begin physical therapy. — Adaira Landry, Forbes.com, 10 Feb. 2026 Instead, Dimas and her colleague Roxana Reyna, a wound ostomy nurse practitioner at Driscoll, used a medical-grade honey solution to clean out the wound. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 2 June 2025 During her year of cancer treatment – which included multiple rounds of radiation, chemo pills and chemo infusions along with a surgery to remove her tumor that left her permanently reliant on an ostomy bag – Chapman was too weak to work. — Freep.com, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ostomy

Word History

Etymology

colostomy

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ostomy was in 1957

Rhymes for ostomy

See All Rhymes for ostomy

Browse Nearby Words

Ostomatidae
ostomy
-ostosis
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ostomy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostomy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

ostomy

noun
os·​to·​my ˈäs-tə-mē How to pronounce ostomy (audio)
plural ostomies
: an operation (as a colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy) to create an artificial passage for bodily elimination

More from Merriam-Webster on ostomy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ostomy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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