liposuction

IPA/ˈlɪpəʊsʌkʃn/
KK[lˈɪposˌʌkʃən]IPA/ˈlɪpəʊsʌkʃn/

liposuction — noun

1. a medical procedure that removes unwanted fat from a specific area of the body,

1.nounB2
Definition

a medical procedure that removes unwanted fat from a specific area of the body, such as the waist, thighs, or chin, by using a narrow tube inserted through small cuts in the skin to pull the fat out.

Example

Aaron chose liposuction on his stomach after diet and exercise failed to remove the fat.

collocation: have liposuction on [body part]

Dr. Samir explained that liposuction targets small fat pockets, not general weight gain.

contrastive usage: liposuction ≠ weight-loss treatment

Common collocations
  • have liposuction
  • undergo liposuction
  • get liposuction
  • liposuction on [body part]
  • liposuction surgery
  • laser liposuction
  • cosmetic liposuction
Synonyms
  • fat removal

    broader term; can refer to non-surgical methods too

  • suction lipectomy

    the full medical term; much less common in everyday language

  • lipo

    informal abbreviation, used mostly in casual conversation or advertising

Grammar Patterns

have/get/undergo liposuction

liposuction on [body part]

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs such as have, undergo, or get. The uncountable form (She had liposuction) is standard in everyday speech, while the countable form (a liposuction, two liposuctions) appears mainly in medical contexts when referring to specific procedures.

Common Mistakes

She had liposuction to treat her obesity.
She had liposuction to reshape her thighs.
Liposuction removes small amounts of fat for body contouring, not for weight loss or treating obesity.
The doctor did a liposuction on me.
The doctor performed liposuction on me.
The uncountable form is more natural; the countable form sounds overly casual in medical settings.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Liposuction is the precise medical term for a surgical procedure that physically suctions fat out through a tube. Fat removal is a much broader term that covers any method of reducing body fat, including diet, exercise, and non-invasive treatments like cryolipolysis. Lipo is an informal abbreviation of liposuction, common in advertisements and casual talk but not in clinical settings. A tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is a different surgery that tightens abdominal muscles and removes excess skin — it is not the same as liposuction, though the two are sometimes performed together. For example: 'She had liposuction on her thighs' describes fat removal, but 'She had a tummy tuck after losing a lot of weight' describes skin tightening.

liposuction ↗fat removallipo ↗tummy tuck ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Formed from two Greek-derived elements: lipo-, meaning 'fat' (from Greek lipos), and suction, meaning 'the act of drawing or pulling' (from Latin suctio, from sugere 'to suck'). The word was first used in English in the early 1980s, soon after the surgical technique was developed and popularised by European and American cosmetic surgeons.