bowel
Americannoun
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Anatomy.
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Usually bowels. the intestine.
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a part of the intestine.
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bowels,
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the inward or interior parts.
the bowels of the earth.
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Archaic. feelings of pity or compassion.
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verb (used with object)
noun
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an intestine, esp the large intestine in man
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(plural) innards; entrails
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(plural) the deep or innermost part (esp in the phrase the bowels of the earth )
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archaic (plural) the emotions, esp of pity or sympathy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of bowel
1250–1300; Middle English b ( o ) uel < Old French < Latin botellus little sausage ( bot ( ulus ) sausage + -ellus -elle )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bowel or anal incontinence - when you cannot control when you poo - affects 20% of women and is most commonly caused by a birth injury, according to the British Journal of General Practice.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with about 44,000 new cases each year.
From Science Daily • May 6, 2026
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
People over age 45 or those with a family history of bowel disease are encouraged to speak with their GP or visit the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to learn about available screening options.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
Bowel affections are not an infrequent attendant upon hooping-cough, and always aggravate the primary disorder.
From The Maternal Management of Children, in Health and Disease by Bull, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
