circumcise
verb
cir·cum·cise ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz 
circumcised; circumcising
: to cut off the foreskin of (a male) or the prepuce or clitoris and labia minora of (a female)
circumciser noun
Examples of circumcise in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After mutual suspicion, the two arrived at a reluctant truce in which Paul was free to bring non-Jews into the Jesus movement, emancipating them from Jewish ritual, while the original Jerusalem circle continued to keep kosher, circumcise, and all the rest. —
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Separately in February, after a rare conviction, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawfully circumcising two boys, aged 17 and 18, last year. —Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026 They could have been medically circumcised at an early age, but cultural pressures mean that many prefer the traditional way. —ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 The man himself might have argued forcefully that the one didn’t prove the other, that many Muslims in his hometown never bothered to circumcise their children. —Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for circumcise
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.
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Separately in February, after a rare conviction, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to two years in prison for unlawfully circumcising two boys, aged 17 and 18, last year. —Mogomotsi Magome, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026 They could have been medically circumcised at an early age, but cultural pressures mean that many prefer the traditional way. —ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 The man himself might have argued forcefully that the one didn’t prove the other, that many Muslims in his hometown never bothered to circumcise their children. —Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for circumcise
Cite this Entry
“Circumcise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/circumcise. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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Medical Definition
circumcise
transitive verb
cir·cum·cise ˈsər-kəm-ˌsīz
circumcised; circumcising
1
: to cut off the foreskin of (a male) or the prepuce of (a female)
2
: to cut off all or part of the external genitalia and especially the clitoris and labia minora of (a female)
see female genital mutilation
circumciser noun
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