: washing
especially : the therapeutic washing out of an organ or part
Examples of lavage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ancient Greek and Roman physicians had their own nasal lavage devices. —
Mary J. Scourboutakos, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025 First introduced for sharks in the 1980s, gastric lavage has been successfully used on various species, demonstrating high efficiency in recovering stomach contents. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025 That test, called a bronchoalveolar lavage, was done 10 days later. —Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 16 May 2024 Postoperative care was reduced to nasal lavage with topical steroids for 3 to 6 weeks. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2017
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.
Mary J. Scourboutakos, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025 First introduced for sharks in the 1980s, gastric lavage has been successfully used on various species, demonstrating high efficiency in recovering stomach contents. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025 That test, called a bronchoalveolar lavage, was done 10 days later. —Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 16 May 2024 Postoperative care was reduced to nasal lavage with topical steroids for 3 to 6 weeks. —Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 9 Jan. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Lavage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/lavage. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
lavage
1 of 2 noun
la·vage
lə-ˈväzh, British usually ˈlav-ij
: the act or action of washing
especially : the therapeutic washing out of an organ or part
gastric lavage
lavage
2 of 2 transitive verb
lavaged; lavaging
1
: to wash or wash out therapeutically
lavaged the bladder with water
the incisions were lavaged with sterile saline
2
: to perform lavage on
she was intubated, lavaged, and received activated charcoal—R. Rasmussen & P. E. McKinney
R. Rasmussen & P. E. McKinney
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
