sphincter
noun
sphinc·ter
ˈsfiŋ(k)-tər 
: an annular muscle surrounding and able to contract or close a bodily opening
Examples of sphincter in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the doctors confirmed using a method called manometry that patients’ upper esophageal sphincters simply would not relax — not after a meal of a sandwich, glass of milk, and candy bar, nor after doctors used a catheter to squirt several ounces of air beneath the stubborn valve.
—
Rae Ellen Bichell, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024
In more severe cases, surgical options such as a sling or an artificial urinary sphincter may be necessary.
—Peter Weiss, Verywell Health, 1 Aug. 2024
Director Shawn Levy stages the cartoonish violence with less verve than David Leitch’s in Deadpool 2, which featured the franchise’s paradigmatic transition — from the close-up of a sphincter to a human eye — making the point that this is all excrement.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 July 2024
This includes the urethral sphincters, a pair of muscular valves that regulate urine flow from the bladder to the urethra.
—Robert Burakoff, Verywell Health, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for sphincter 
Rae Ellen Bichell, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024
In more severe cases, surgical options such as a sling or an artificial urinary sphincter may be necessary.
—Peter Weiss, Verywell Health, 1 Aug. 2024
Director Shawn Levy stages the cartoonish violence with less verve than David Leitch’s in Deadpool 2, which featured the franchise’s paradigmatic transition — from the close-up of a sphincter to a human eye — making the point that this is all excrement.
—Armond White, National Review, 26 July 2024
This includes the urethral sphincters, a pair of muscular valves that regulate urine flow from the bladder to the urethra.
—Robert Burakoff, Verywell Health, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for sphincter
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sphincter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sphincter
Cite this Entry
“Sphincter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sphincter. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sphincter
noun
sphinc·ter
ˈsfiŋ(k)-tər
: a ringlike muscle surrounding a body opening that is able to make the opening smaller or close it
Medical Definition
sphincter
noun
sphinc·ter
ˈsfiŋ(k)-tər
: an annular muscle surrounding and able to contract or close a bodily opening see anal sphincter, cardiac sphincter, precapillary sphincter, pyloric sphincter
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share