as in to feel
medical
to examine (part of the body) by touching it
The doctor palpated his ribs to see if there was any tenderness.
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Recent Examples of palpate
Labor in healthcare includes taking down medical histories, making diagnoses, lifting patients, removing lumps, palpating livers, writing notes, processing claims and comforting patients.
—
Kevin Vigilante, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Expect a thorough exam, during which the provider will palpate (touch) the bicep, check for swelling or tenderness, and assess your range of motion and strength.
—Sarah Jividen, Health, 11 Oct. 2024
Expect a thorough exam, during which the provider will palpate (touch) the bicep, check for swelling or tenderness, and assess your range of motion and strength.
—Sarah Jividen, Health, 11 Oct. 2024
At your prenatal visits, your doctor or midwife will check your baby's position by palpating or feeling your belly to find the baby’s head, back, and bottom.
—Donna Murray, Rn, Parents, 25 July 2024
The lead veterinarian, Cristina Buitrago, knelt and palpated the hippo’s abdomen to feel for his testicles, located in the inguinal canal.
—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
Providers may need to use special techniques during manual cancer exams in people with obesity, like when palpating larger breasts or performing a rectal exam.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 19 Jan. 2024
Kuang’s narrative palpates the nuances of cultural performance and writerly ethics, finally concluding that all authors steal for material anyway.
—Zoe Hu, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
Interpreting Results To determine whether dry needling is an effective treatment for you, your healthcare provider or therapist will palpate your trigger points and ask you about your level of pain, movement, and stiffness following your session.
—Brittany Ferri, Verywell Health, 17 Apr. 2023
Kevin Vigilante, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Expect a thorough exam, during which the provider will palpate (touch) the bicep, check for swelling or tenderness, and assess your range of motion and strength.
—Sarah Jividen, Health, 11 Oct. 2024
Expect a thorough exam, during which the provider will palpate (touch) the bicep, check for swelling or tenderness, and assess your range of motion and strength.
—Sarah Jividen, Health, 11 Oct. 2024
At your prenatal visits, your doctor or midwife will check your baby's position by palpating or feeling your belly to find the baby’s head, back, and bottom.
—Donna Murray, Rn, Parents, 25 July 2024
The lead veterinarian, Cristina Buitrago, knelt and palpated the hippo’s abdomen to feel for his testicles, located in the inguinal canal.
—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
Providers may need to use special techniques during manual cancer exams in people with obesity, like when palpating larger breasts or performing a rectal exam.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 19 Jan. 2024
Kuang’s narrative palpates the nuances of cultural performance and writerly ethics, finally concluding that all authors steal for material anyway.
—Zoe Hu, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
Interpreting Results To determine whether dry needling is an effective treatment for you, your healthcare provider or therapist will palpate your trigger points and ask you about your level of pain, movement, and stiffness following your session.
—Brittany Ferri, Verywell Health, 17 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palpate
Verb
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His loss is deeply felt across the entire ROTC and Rutgers community.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
27 July 2025
-
So why does life feel costly for many Michiganders?—
Adrienne Roberts,
Freep.com,
27 July 2025
Verb
-
The discussion inevitably also touched on the role of tax incentives.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
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The curved viewing line for Saturday nearly touches the border between South Dakota and Nebraska, as chances of seeing the northern lights increase the farther north people are of the line.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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For trial, Black suggested that Alvarez shave his mustache to detract from the officer’s rough-guy image.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
22 July 2025
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July 9 was the first of three days in which a millisecond or more could be shaved off the clock on account of how the moon's position relative to Earth is influencing our planet's rotation.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Slim promptly pockets and pats them for safekeeping.—
Jennifer Leigh Parker,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Brinkley recounts that Billy made his way over to the piano and patted the bench.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Palpate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palpate. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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