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kidney

noun
kid·​ney | \ ˈkid-nÄ“ How to pronounce kidney (audio) \
plural kidneys

Definition of kidney

1a : one of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped organs about 4¹/₂ inches (11¹/₂ centimeters) long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into a main cavity whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder
b : any of various excretory organs of invertebrate animals
2 : the kidney of an animal eaten as food
3 : sort or kind especially with regard to temperament a nice helpful guy, of a different kidney entirely from the … Secret Police— Paula Lecler
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Examples of kidney in a Sentence

a patient with a damaged kidney her new boyfriend is of a different kidney than what she usually dates

Recent Examples on the Web

 In the United States, there are more than 35,000 people older than 60 waiting for a kidney. — chicagotribune.com, "Thousands of kidneys are thrown away by U.S. transplant centers every year," 28 Aug. 2019 Isakson had surgery in Georgia to remove a growth on a kidney. — Los Angeles Times, "Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia says he will retire," 28 Aug. 2019 During his career, Luck suffered a lacerated kidney, a torn abdomen, torn cartilage, and a concussion. — Chris Boyette, CNN, "Some fans booed Andrew Luck for retiring. But the NFL community is showing him lots of love," 25 Aug. 2019 McFadden downplayed her personal sacrifice in providing a life-changing kidney for Volpe. — Beth Mlady, cleveland.com, "Middleburg City Hall co-workers unite in quest for kidney," 29 July 2019 In the first successful human transplant, in 1954, Ronald Herrick, 23, donated a kidney to his identical twin brother Richard at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. — Joshua Mezrich, WSJ, "Losing the Humanity of Transplants," 18 Jan. 2019 By the time the game arrived on May 1, 2013, Lane-Dupre was in remission after having a kidney removed and undergoing chemotherapy. — Jamie Goldberg, OregonLive.com, "5 years later, cancer survivor Atticus Lane-Dupre is healthy, happy and still playing soccer," 9 May 2018 He was released from the hospital that day after having a cancerous kidney and adrenal gland removed. — Sven Berg, idahostatesman, "This Boise Democrat and former KBSU exec has cancer, will retire from Legislature | Idaho Statesman," 16 Mar. 2018 The birds also had lower dissolved calcium in their bloodstream and more uric acid, which could be signs of kidney disfunction. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Eating Even One Piece of Plastic Has Health Consequences for Baby Seabirds," 5 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kidney.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of kidney

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for kidney

Middle English

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More Definitions for kidney

kidney

noun
How to pronounce kidney (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of kidney

: either of two organs in your body that remove waste products from your blood and make urine
: an animal kidney used as food

See the full definition for kidney in the English Language Learners Dictionary

kidney

noun
kid·​ney | \ ˈkid-nÄ“ How to pronounce kidney (audio) \
plural kidneys

Kids Definition of kidney

: either of a pair of organs near the backbone that give off waste from the body in the form of urine and in humans are bean-shaped

kidney

noun
kid·​ney | \ ˈkid-nÄ“ How to pronounce kidney (audio) \
plural kidneys

Medical Definition of kidney

1 : one of a pair of vertebrate organs situated in the body cavity near the spinal column that excrete waste products of metabolism, in humans are bean-shaped organs about 4¹/₂ inches (11¹/₂ centimeters) long lying behind the peritoneum in a mass of fatty tissue, and consist chiefly of nephrons by which urine is secreted, collected, and discharged into the renal pelvis whence it is conveyed by the ureter to the bladder — compare mesonephros, metanephros, pronephros
2 : any of various excretory organs of invertebrate animals

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More from Merriam-Webster on kidney

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with kidney

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for kidney

Spanish Central: Translation of kidney

Nglish: Translation of kidney for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of kidney for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about kidney

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