cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
ˈkär-tə-lij 
ˈkärt-lij
1
: a usually translucent (see translucent sense 1) somewhat elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos and except for a small number of structures (such as some joints, respiratory passages, and the external ear) is replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
Examples of cartilage in a Sentence
She fell and damaged some cartilage in her knee.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jiménez, 31, missed the 2025 season after undergoing surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee.
—
Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Doctors told him he’d only suffered minor damage to the hyoid bone in his neck and cricoid cartilage around his voice box.
—Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
The procedure kept the ACL, the medial meniscus, and cartilage on the knee’s inner part intact.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
Tosti's images before the surgery show bone-on-bone in the thumb joint, and the lack of cartilage tissue causes the pain.
—Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cartilage
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Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Doctors told him he’d only suffered minor damage to the hyoid bone in his neck and cricoid cartilage around his voice box.
—Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
The procedure kept the ACL, the medial meniscus, and cartilage on the knee’s inner part intact.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
Tosti's images before the surgery show bone-on-bone in the thumb joint, and the lack of cartilage tissue causes the pain.
—Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cartilage
Cite this Entry
“Cartilage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartilage. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
ˈkärt-ᵊl-ij
ˈkärt-lij
1
: an elastic tissue which composes most of the skeleton of the vertebrate embryo and much of which is changed to bone later in life
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
Medical Definition
cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
ˈkärt-ᵊl-ij, ˈkärt-lij
1
: a usually translucent somewhat elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos and except for a small number of structures (as some joints, respiratory passages, and the external ear) is replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
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