gallbladder
noun
gall·blad·der
ˈgȯl-ˌbla-dər 
plural gallbladders
: a membranous muscular sac in which bile from the liver is concentrated and stored before being passed to the intestinal duodenum
After a meal, the gallbladder contracts and injects several tablespoons of bile into the small intestines, where the detergent-like bile salts break up fats.—
David Schardt
David SchardtFor reasons not yet entirely clear, many people, women more often than men, are predisposed to forming stones in their gallbladder.—Sherwin B. Nuland
Sherwin B. NulandExamples of gallbladder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Each puncture of the gallbladder for bile harvesting was a new risk for introducing bacteria or inflammation to the organ, which can result in gallbladder stones or terminal infection.
—Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Four years later, Nguyen became the first in the California Bay Area to remove a gallbladder using single-site robotic surgery, with his brother Nang assisting the surgery.
—Kaitlyn Schwanemann, NBC news, 12 May 2025
But when doctors removed her gallbladder, her health began to see a positive trend back to normal.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
In the fall of 2021, surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) in New York City removed more than half of Elissa’s liver in a massive surgery that also took her sigmoid colon, gallbladder and ovaries.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gallbladder
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Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2025
Four years later, Nguyen became the first in the California Bay Area to remove a gallbladder using single-site robotic surgery, with his brother Nang assisting the surgery.
—Kaitlyn Schwanemann, NBC news, 12 May 2025
But when doctors removed her gallbladder, her health began to see a positive trend back to normal.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
In the fall of 2021, surgeons at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) in New York City removed more than half of Elissa’s liver in a massive surgery that also took her sigmoid colon, gallbladder and ovaries.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for gallbladder
Cite this Entry
“Gallbladder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gallbladder. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
gallbladder
noun
gall·blad·der
ˈgȯl-ˌblad-ər
: a muscular sac in which bile from the liver is stored
Medical Definition
gallbladder
noun
gall·blad·der
ˈgȯl-ˌblad-ər
: a membranous muscular sac in which bile from the liver is concentrated and stored before being passed to the duodenum
Gallstones are made of cholesterol, a normal component of the bile stored in the gallbladder.—D. Shiga, Science News
D. Shiga, Science NewsRemoval of the gallbladder—a pear-shaped sac in the right side of your abdomen—has little adverse effect on digestion. After surgery, bile flows directly from your liver to your small intestine rather than being stored first in your gallbladder.—Mayo Clinic Health Letter
Mayo Clinic Health LetterLove words? Need even more definitions?
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