# transplant

/tɹænsˈpɫænt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/transplant
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. medical operation

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The patient is recovering well after her kidney transplant last week.
- 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. a moved plant

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: a botanical specimen that has been uprooted and replanted in a different location.

- These small transplants need plenty of water until their roots grow strong.
- The gardener carefully monitored the vegetable transplants to ensure they survived the sudden drop in overnight temperature.

### 3. a person who moved

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Informal

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

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

- As a New York transplant living in California, he still misses the cold winters.
- The city's population is a diverse mix of lifelong residents and recent transplants attracted by the booming tech industry.

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

### 4. to move an organ or plant

verb · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: to transfer tissue, an organ, or a plant from one location or body to another.

- We need to transplant these flowers into a bigger pot before they die.
- Surgeons worked for twelve hours to transplant the donor liver into the waiting recipient.

## Examples

- He needs a kidney transplant to stay healthy.
- After months on the waiting list, the patient finally received a successful heart transplant from a compatible donor.
- Advances in immunosuppressant drugs have significantly increased the long-term success rates of organ transplants, allowing recipients to lead relatively normal lives without the constant threat of rejection.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.