malpractice
noun
mal·prac·tice
| \ ˌmal-ˈprak-təs
\
\
Definition of malpractice
1
: a dereliction of professional duty or a failure to exercise an ordinary degree of professional skill or learning by one (such as a physician) rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage
2
: an injurious, negligent, or improper practice : malfeasance
Examples of malpractice in a Sentence
a surgeon accused of malpractice
Doctors need to have malpractice insurance to protect themselves against lawsuits.
Recent Examples on the Web
According to an alarming new study, misdiagnosis is to blame in roughly one-third (34%) of malpractice cases where death or permanent disability has occurred. — Samantha Lauriello, Health.com, "Diagnostic Errors Make Up One-Third of Serious Malpractice Claims, Study Shows," 11 July 2019 Here’s a look at five similar big medical malpractice cases in recent years. — Christine Condon, baltimoresun.com, "Five major medical malpractice cases that preceded last week’s ‘record-setting’ verdict against Hopkins Bayview," 10 July 2019 That law was passed in 1975, backed by medical groups that contended runaway malpractice verdicts were inflating insurance premiums and driving doctors out of California. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "Case of Jahi McMath, girl declared brain-dead, raises judicial issues," 29 June 2018 The couple in this latest lawsuit accuses the fertility clinic of medical malpractice, negligence, and 14 other counts. — CBS News, "Couple says wrong embryos implanted by IVF clinic in "unimaginable mishap"," 8 July 2019 Maza’s videos often analyze cases of journalistic malpractice among conservative cable news hosts, and for the past two years Crowder has responded with a series of racial and homophobic slurs. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Three ways YouTube could fight harassment," 6 June 2019 Hanson is an attorney in Pennsylvania who has defended medical malpractice cases for more than 20 years. — Carole Goldberg, courant.com, "Write Stuff: Hartford Circus Fire, the ‘Elegant Warrior’, nonviolent action," 19 June 2019 One big win came in a $25 million malpractice settlement in 2012 with law firm Holland & Knight, which had provided legal services to Mr. Nadel’s investment funds. — Katy Stech Ferek, WSJ, "For Ponzi Victims, the Aftermath Is Long," 22 June 2019 The law safeguards against patient mistreatment and doctor malpractice by criminalizing coercing someone to request assisted suicide or forging a request for life-ending medication. — Fox News, "Maine is 8th state to legalize assisted suicide," 13 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malpractice.' 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 malpractice
malpractice
noun
English Language Learners Definition of malpractice
law
: careless, wrong, or illegal actions by someone (such as a doctor) who is performing a professional duty
See the full definition for malpractice in the English Language Learners Dictionary
malpractice
noun
mal·prac·tice
| \ (ˈ)mal-ˈprak-təs
\
\
Medical Definition of malpractice
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a dereliction of professional duty or a failure to exercise an accepted degree of professional skill or learning by a physician rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage
malpractice
intransitive verb
malpracticed;
malpracticing
Medical Definition of malpractice (Entry 2 of 2)
: to engage in or commit malpractice
malpractice
noun
mal·prac·tice
| \ ˌmal-ˈprak-təs
\
\
Legal Definition of malpractice
: negligence, misconduct, lack of ordinary skill, or a breach of duty in the performance of a professional service (as in medicine) resulting in injury or loss
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