epidural
adjective
epi·du·ral
| \ ˌe-pi-ˈd(y)u̇r-əl
\
\
Definition of epidural
(Entry 1 of 2)
: situated upon or administered or placed outside the dura mater
epidural anesthesia an epidural abscess
epidural
nounDefinition of epidural (Entry 2 of 2)
: an injection of a local anesthetic into the space outside the dura mater of the spinal cord in the lower back region to produce loss of sensation especially in the abdomen or pelvic region
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Examples of epidural in a Sentence
Noun
Many women undergoing childbirth are given epidurals.Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The CAT scan read by an outside radiologist showed an epidural hematoma — a collection of blood pressing on the spinal cord. — Robert Brum, USA TODAY, "She became a quadriplegic after spinal surgery. A jury awarded her $56M malpractice verdict," 12 Aug. 2019 The doctor administered anesthesia via an epidural. — Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, "Braiden Schirtzinger is non-binary, pregnant and about to take on the most gendered role of all," 16 Aug. 2019 Midwives, Doulas and Photographers At 9 centimeters dilated, Terra Hall’s first priority was the epidural. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: Today: When a home means abandoning your past," 16 Aug. 2019 Then, in December 2009, Harkema’s team fitted him with an epidural stimulator. — Cassandra Willyard, Scientific American, "How a Revolutionary Technique Got People with Spinal-Cord Injuries Back on Their Feet," 7 Aug. 2019 She was treated with epidural shots to ease the pain and kept on swimming. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Obstacles were plenty for swimmer Baker to reach world championships," 20 July 2019 Gray, who is from Milton, requested an epidural injection to deal with the labor pain at Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola on Wednesday, June 26. — Stephen Ruiz, orlandosentinel.com, "Labor pain was only beginning for Florida woman after epidural catheter gets stuck: report," 3 July 2019 Melvin had discomfort at least since spring training and had an epidural injection before the A's flew to Japan to open the season. — Henry Schulman, SFChronicle.com, "A’s manager Bob Melvin returns a day after procedure to alleviate neck pain," 21 June 2019 The only realistic potential abusers of Dsuvia are medical personnel, who have had access to liquid sufentanil from hospital pharmacies since the drug was approved in 1984 for intravenous and epidural use. — Sally Satel, WSJ, "The FDA Was Wise to Approve a New Opioid," 7 Nov. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
After 90 minutes of what felt like fruitless effort, my OB called a time out and cranked the epidural back up. — Frances F. Denny, Harper's BAZAAR, "What People Don’t Tell You About Childbirth: The Realities of Vaginal Tearing," 16 July 2018 Fentanyl has long been used in prescription pain patches and epidurals. — Catherine Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "California orders opioid overdose antidote naloxone available without prescription," 8 June 2018 Fentanyl has long been used in legal drugs, such as in prescription pain patches and epidurals. — Catherine Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "Deaths from illegal opioid fentanyl surge to record in California," 24 May 2018 In most cases, epidurals successfully reduce pain during labor. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Chrissy Teigen Wants to Know If She Can Get a Bikini Wax During Her Epidural," 15 May 2018 The idea that epidurals can prolong labor has been around for a while. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Does an Epidural Actually Slow Down Labor?," 23 Oct. 2017 Doctors stopped epidurals during the second stage of labor in 38 cases when delivery wasn’t progressing quickly enough. — Washington Post, "Epidurals may not make labor last longer," 22 Oct. 2017 Feeling their pain A series of deaths in Japan is fueling misinformation about the safety of epidurals. — Claire Zillman, Fortune, "Fighting Sexism with Fake Male Co-Founder, Melania’s Shoe Disaster, and Michelle Bachelet’s Mission," 30 Aug. 2017 Camann, who teaches at Harvard Medical School, said the combined spinal epidural is used for all C-sections, traditional and gentle, performed in the United States. — Susan Scutti, CNN, "'Gentle' C-sections are growing in popularity," 13 June 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epidural.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for epidural
epidural
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of epidural
medical
: an injection of a substance into a person's spine to cause the lower part of the body to become unable to feel pain
See the full definition for epidural in the English Language Learners Dictionary
epidural
adjective
epi·du·ral
| \ ˌep-i-ˈd(y)u̇r-əl
\
\
Medical Definition of epidural
(Entry 1 of 2)
: situated upon or administered or placed outside the dura mater
epidural injections an epidural abscess
Other Words from epidural
epidurally
\ -ə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
epidural
nounMedical Definition of epidural (Entry 2 of 2)
: an injection of an anesthetic to produce epidural anesthesia