forceps

IPA/ˈfɔːseps/
KK[fˈɔrsɛps]IPA/ˈfɔːrseps/

forceps — noun

1. a medical tool that works like a pair of tweezers, with two handles and a hinged

1.nounB2
Definition

a medical tool that works like a pair of tweezers, with two handles and a hinged tip, used by doctors, dentists, and surgeons to grip, pull, or remove small objects during operations or examinations

Example

Ziad handed the surgeon a pair of forceps to clamp the bleeding vessel.

collocation: a pair of forceps

The dentist used forceps to gently remove the broken tooth from the gum.

Common collocations
  • a pair of forceps
  • use forceps
  • sterilise the forceps
  • with forceps
Synonyms
  • tweezers

    much smaller, typically for non-surgical use such as grooming or fine laboratory work

  • clamp

    a broader term for any tool that holds or compresses; less specific to the tweezer-like shape of forceps

  • pincers

    a more general term; often refers to larger tools used in construction or crafting

Grammar Patterns

a pair of forceps

Usage Note

Forceps is plural in form but can be used with either a singular or plural verb: 'The forceps is on the tray' or 'The forceps are being sterilised.' The phrase 'a pair of forceps' is common when referring to a single instrument.

Common Mistakes

Use tweezers to hold the tissue during surgery.
Use forceps to hold the tissue during surgery.
Tweezers are smaller and designed for non-surgical tasks such as grooming; forceps are medical instruments made for surgical procedures.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Forceps and tweezers both have a tweezer-like shape, but forceps are much larger, made of surgical-grade metal, and designed for medical procedures such as surgery and childbirth. Tweezers are small hand tools used for fine non-surgical tasks like removing splinters or shaping eyebrows. A clamp is any tool that holds or presses things together, including surgical clamps for blood vessels, while pincers are a more general category of gripping tools — pliers, wire cutters — not specific to medicine. In a medical context, 'forceps' is the correct term when a surgeon or dentist needs to grip, pull, or extract something during a procedure.

forceps ↗tweezers ↗clamp ↗pincers ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a pair of forceps

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Forceps comes from Latin, where it meant 'pair of tongs.' The word was formed from 'formus' (hot) and 'capere' (to take or hold), because the first forceps were used to hold hot objects. The word entered English in the 1500s with the same form for both singular and plural.