: the surgical removal of part of an organ or structure

Examples of resection 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.
This dictated the type of lung resection required. Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 Bone fractures and surgical resection to remove cancer result in larger defects that usually require the use of bone grafts or metal reconstruction to repair. New Atlas, 8 Sep. 2025 His mother, Amie Walden, shared that the hospital had to conduct a 3-inch bowel resection to remove part of his bowel, leaving a 6-inch incision on his abdomen. Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 While surgical resection remains the mainstay of therapy for GBM, tumor recurrence rates remain high. Nina Shapiro, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for resection

Word History

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of resection was in 1646

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Resection.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resection. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Medical Definition

resection

noun
: the surgical removal of part of an organ or structure
pancreatic resection
resection of the lower bowel
resection of a tumor
see abdominoperineal resection, mikulicz resection, segmental resection, wedge resection
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!