incision

IPA/ɪnˈsɪʒn/
KK[ˌɪnsˈɪʒən]IPA/ɪnˈsɪʒn/

incision — noun

  • incisionsingular
  • incisionsplural

1. a careful cut through skin or tissue with a sharp blade, done by a surgeon durin

1.nounC1
Definition

a careful cut through skin or tissue with a sharp blade, done by a surgeon during a medical procedure; also, the action of cutting into the body in this way

Example

The surgeon made a tiny incision just below Keiko's left collarbone to insert the tube.

make an incision + preposition of place

Emmanuel felt nothing as the incision was made, thanks to the local anaesthetic.

passive: incision was made

Common collocations
  • make an incision
  • small incision
  • tiny incision
  • first incision
  • single incision
  • surgical incision
Synonyms
  • cut

    the general everyday term; 'incision' is specifically surgical and deliberate

  • slit

    a long narrow opening; 'incision' does not emphasise length-to-width ratio

  • opening

    broader term that need not involve a sharp tool at all

Grammar Patterns

make an incision

incision in/through something

Usage Note

Primarily used in medical and surgical contexts. Emphasises a deliberate, controlled cut made with a sharp instrument — distinct from an accidental cut or tear.

Common Mistakes

The knife left a deep incision in the table.
The knife left a deep cut in the table.
'incision' is almost always used for cuts into living tissue, not into objects like wood or plastic.

2. the healing wound at the site of a surgeon's cut, and the permanent scar that ma

2.nounC1
Definition

the healing wound at the site of a surgeon's cut, and the permanent scar that may form there

Example

Hakim dabbed the incision on his stomach gently with a clean piece of cotton.

dab the incision — wound-care collocation

Rosa's incision healed cleanly, leaving only a thin white scar above her hip.

incision healed cleanly — typical adverb pairing

Common collocations
  • incision heals
  • incision site
  • clean incision
  • infected incision
  • incision scar
Synonyms
  • wound

    broader term for any injury; 'incision' specifically refers to a surgical wound

  • scar

    only the healed mark, not the fresh wound; 'incision' covers both stages

  • gash

    a deep, rough, usually accidental wound — not surgical

Grammar Patterns

incision heals

incision on something

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (SURGICAL CUT): this sense focuses on the incision as a wound that heals or a scar that remains — the mark left behind, not the cutting itself.

Common Mistakes

After the operation, I could see the incision the surgeon made.' (talking about the healing wound)
After the operation, I could see where the incision had been stitched.
when referring to the wound itself as it heals, use sense 2; sense 1 refers to the original cut.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe a break in skin or tissue, but they differ in purpose and character. A cut is the broadest term — a paper cut, a kitchen knife cut, a surgeon's cut. Incision narrows the focus to a deliberate, controlled cut made in a medical setting; it implies precision. A slit is long and narrow, like the slit of a letter opener or a surgical slit for a drainage tube. A gash is deep, rough, and usually accidental — think of falling onto broken glass. Wound shifts attention away from the cutting action and onto the injured flesh itself; you can have a wound without a cut (a burn, a bruise) and a cut without a wound (a tiny scratch). When a doctor says 'I will now make an incision,' the words cut, gash, or slit would each sound wrong — incision is the only term that carries the weight of a sterile, careful, purposeful act.

cut ↗slit ↗gash ↗wound ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • incision site
  • surgical incision

Prepositions

  • incision in
  • incision on
  • incision through

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Incision comes from the Latin verb incidere, meaning 'to cut into,' formed from in- ('into') and caedere ('to cut'). It entered English through Old French in the late Middle Ages. For centuries it referred to any act of cutting or engraving, but by the 19th century medical science had claimed the word almost exclusively, and today it is overwhelmingly associated with surgery.