How to Use epiglottis in a Sentence

epiglottis

noun
  • When the epiglottis swells, a kid can’t breathe.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The top of the epiglottis came into view, drooping like a rose petal.
    — Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2015
  • This maneuver lifts the epiglottis and brings the vocal cords into view.
    — Clayton Dalton, The New Yorker, 27 May 2020
  • Medics have to lift the epiglottis with a metal scope and carefully angle the tube forward.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
  • All of that effort distracts the nerves that are responsible for the diaphragm and epiglottis, called the phrenic and vagus nerves.
    — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2021
  • The epiglottis blocks the trachea during swallowing.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Sometimes the tongue propels saliva backward before the epiglottis has time to cover the airway.
    — Sara Manning Peskin, M.d., New York Times, 20 June 2017
  • All that protects us from aspirating is a thin, cartilaginous flap of tissue called the epiglottis.
    — Douglas Jacobs, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2018
  • The bacteria attacked her epiglottis, the piece of cartilage that covers the windpipe when eating so food doesn’t get into the lungs.
    — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The larynx functions like an antechamber to the windpipe, or trachea, with a flap of tissue called the epiglottis keeping food and drink from falling down the windpipe.
    — Kate Golembiewski, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
  • The inflammation of the epiglottis, which can lead to epiglottitis, is often caused by bacteria, per MedlinePlus.
    — Maggie O'Neill, Health.com, 2 Nov. 2020
  • For doctors like us, this means initiating a conversation about the value that each patient places on eating before evaluating how food passes over the epiglottis.
    — Douglas Jacobs, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2018
  • In 2019, Omaha Beach missed the race because of an entrapped epiglottis, which affected his breathing.
    — Beth Harris, ajc, 6 May 2023
  • When a singer sings this high, the epiglottis closes over the larynx, making the mechanics impossible to film with a medical camera and therefore beyond scientific study.
    — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 9 Oct. 2020
  • If an underlying infection has caused the epiglottis to become inflamed, thus causing epiglottitis, a course of antibiotics might be prescribed to treat the condition, per the NHS.
    — Maggie O'Neill, Health.com, 2 Nov. 2020
  • At the turn of the new century, Washington, general, President, and Founding Father, would be felled by a final infection of a tiny flap of tissue in the throat, the epiglottis.
    — Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2016
  • Epiglottitis is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition in which the epiglottis, that little bit of cartilage that covers and protects your windpipe, becomes inflamed, the Mayo Clinic explains.
    — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, 2 Nov. 2020
  • The girl was taken to University Medical Center, where she was hospitalized for four days with injuries and burns to her epiglottis, throat, tongue, lips and surrounding areas, according to the complaint.
    — NBC News, 9 Jan. 2020
  • Three days before the 2019 Derby, favored Omaha Beach was eliminated by an entrapped epiglottis that affected his breathing and required surgical repair.
    — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 2 Sep. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'epiglottis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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