Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

excrement

American  
[ek-skruh-muhnt] / ˈɛk skrə mənt /

noun

  • excrements
    plural
  1. waste matter discharged from the body, especially feces.


excrement British  
/ ˌɛkskrɪmɛnˈtɪʃəs, ˈɛkskrɪmənt, ˌɛkskrɪˈmɛntəl /

noun

  1. waste matter discharged from the body, esp faeces; excreta

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of excrement

1525–35; < Latin excrēmentum, equivalent to excrē- (perfect stem of excernere to excrete ) + -mentum -ment

Vocabulary lists containing excrement

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.

See Examples For:

Prison officers had previously claimed the 30-year-old, who was on remand for unpaid fines and breach of the peace, had smashed up his cell and covered himself in excrement.

From BBC Jun. 25, 2026

Large groups of black vultures have taken up residence in town, covering the quaint historic district in feathers and foul-smelling excrement.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 16, 2026

Specifically, he posted an A.I.-generated video of a fighter jet, piloted by himself in a literal crown, dropping human excrement onto the crowds.

From Slate Jun. 11, 2026

The smell is "like excrement," said 68-year-old Patricio Velasquez, who shuts himself inside every summer due to the odor emanating from the dump.

From Barron's May 13, 2026

He passed three Englishmen who were watching the excrement festival from a distance.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

A path blooming with cow patties is likely to be less grueling than one marked only by the dark, nutlike excrements of goats, who can get up anywhere.

From New York Times Apr. 20, 2022

There, old wounds on trilobite shells abound, and fossil excrements, likely produced by trilobites, contain yet more trilobite shells.

From New York Times Mar. 25, 2022

However, I’m placing dog turds at the bottom of my list because I grew up in Rome, where I stepped on excrements more times than I can count.

From The Verge May 9, 2018

Our liquid excrements are salty, we can’t drink saltwater.

From The Guardian May 6, 2016

Animal and human excrements are particularly rich in the chemical elements that are fittest for the reproduction of human food.

From Woman under socialism by Daniel De Leon

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training