English Reference
noun · verb

transplant

n. · v.
US /tɹænsˈpɫænt/ trans·plant UK spelling transplanted, transplants

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    n.a medical operation where a healthy organ or piece of tissue is put into a patient's body.

    n.a surgical procedure in which an organ or tissue is removed from one body and placed into another, or moved within the same body.

    Simple

    The patient is recovering well after her kidney transplant last week.

    In context

    Advances in immunosuppressant drugs have significantly increased the success rate of heart transplant procedures over the last decade.

    Usage

    Often used as a compound noun, such as 'liver transplant' or 'organ transplant'.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    n.a plant that has been moved from one place to another.

    n.a botanical specimen that has been uprooted and replanted in a different location.

    Simple

    These small transplants need plenty of water until their roots grow strong.

    In context

    The gardener carefully monitored the vegetable transplants to ensure they survived the sudden drop in overnight temperature.

    seedlingreplant
  3. 03 C1 Advanced American EnglishInformal

    n.someone who has moved from their original home to live in a new city or area.

    n.an individual who has relocated to a new region or city and is not a native of that area.

    Simple

    As a New York transplant living in California, he still misses the cold winters.

    In context

    The city's population is a diverse mix of lifelong residents and recent transplants attracted by the booming tech industry.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is common in North American cities with high migration; it is rarely used in formal academic writing.

  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to move a plant to a new pot or garden, or to move an organ into a patient.

    v.to transfer tissue, an organ, or a plant from one location or body to another.

    Simple

    We need to transplant these flowers into a bigger pot before they die.

    In context

    Surgeons worked for twelve hours to transplant the donor liver into the waiting recipient.

The medical data of transplant patients from across the UK was sent over an unencrypted pager network.

BBC News· 14 Aug 2026

The number of heart and lung transplants the NHS carries out each year has not increased in 30 years.

BBC News· 13 Aug 2026

From Middle English transplaunten, from Old French transplanter, from Late Latin transplantare, equivalent to trans- + plant.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin la-lat transplantare
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated