How to Use scalpel in a Sentence

scalpel

noun
  • The city doesn’t need a hammer, but a scalpel.
    — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The cuts haven't been made with a scalpel, but an axe — or, rather a chainsaw.
    — Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Truly dug into me like a scalpel.
    — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • Kikta’s scalpel cuts into the man’s chest down to his ribs.
    — Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
  • The question is, will that person trim it with a scalpel or a cleaver?
    — Kyle Whitmire, al, 18 Apr. 2021
  • Baseball is doing its best to dull its knife, which once was scalpel-sharp.
    — Nick Canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, 12 May 2018
  • Think scalpel rather than sledgehammer.
    — The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 24 Sep. 2025
  • These days, a scalpel and an appointment aren't needed to try out it out.
    — Devon Abelman, Allure, 8 Aug. 2020
  • Art was right behind her, swiping the scalpel through the air, trying to cut her.
    — William Earl, Variety, 1 Oct. 2024
  • The first requires a scalpel to one’s heart and the second requires one lay down their sword.
    — Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2017
  • Maria and her team stayed five months, working with scalpels, slowly peeling away the paint.
    — Mark Holgate, Vogue, 30 May 2018
  • The issue is that what Brazil often require is a scalpel.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026
  • Think of ordinary tongs as a cleaver, and a Stando as a scalpel.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Really that's just a fancy name for what amounts to a scalpel facial.
    — Jessica Cruel, SELF, 8 June 2018
  • My brushes and palette knife are the scalpels of a skillful surgeon.
    — courant.com, 28 Oct. 2019
  • Then, your doctor will use a scalpel to pierce the stye and remove the contents of the bump with a curette.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 15 Jan. 2019
  • Inside his car, police found a scalpel, X-rays and orders for medicine.
    — Los Angeles Times, oregonlive.com, 24 Aug. 2019
  • Cutting and splicing the genome could be a great deal cheaper than using scalpels and lasers on the body.
    — The Economist, 16 Sep. 2017
  • Claire heats up her scalpel while Jamie offers Tom some whiskey and a stick to bite down on for the pain.
    — Lincee Ray, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2022
  • Urgency should be a scalpel, not a blunt instrument.
    — Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato, Forbes.com, 12 Jan. 2026
  • Begging has never been my mothering style, but the prospect of a scalpel reshaped me.
    — M. Boone Mattia, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2020
  • During rosacea surgery, a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove excess skin and shape the area.
    — Carrie Madormo, Rn, Mph, Verywell Health, 27 Jan. 2025
  • There are graphic depictions of surgery, including a drill to the skull and a scalpel to skin.
    — Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2019
  • The desert was entirely black now and cooling, the scalpel scrape of the sun finally off the land.
    — Paolo Bacigalupi, Wired News, 27 May 2015
  • Trump’s tariffs are akin to performing surgery on the economy with a sword rather than a scalpel.
    — Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Of the dozens of devices implanted in his body over the years, most were inserted with his own scalpel.
    — Wired, 30 Aug. 2019
  • The video, with a team of Black women wielding scalpels, is a gory comeuppance.
    — Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2023
  • In fetal surgery, the slightest squeeze or tilt of a scalpel can be the difference between life and death.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024
  • The doctors’ sense of humor and compassion turn out to be just as admirable as their skills with a scalpel.
    — Star Tribune, 3 Dec. 2020
  • The good news is that some of the credits would survive the House’s scalpel and none of the changes are retroactive.
    — Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

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

Last Updated: