diarrhea

American  

[dahy-uh-ree-uh] / ˌdaɪ əˈri ə /

Or diarrhoea

noun

Pathology.

• diarrheas
  plural

1. an intestinal disorder characterized by abnormal frequency and fluidity of fecal evacuations.

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diarrhea Scientific  

/ dī′ə-rē′ə /

1. Excessive and frequent evacuation of watery feces, usually a symptom of a gastrointestinal disorder. Severe, prolonged diarrhea can lead to dehydration.

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diarrhea Cultural  

1. The frequent passage of abnormally watery feces, which is a sign of illness.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antidiarrheal
  adjective
• diarrheal
  adjective
• diarrheic
  adjective
• diarrhetic
  adjective
• diarrhoeal
  adjective
• diarrhoeic
  adjective
• diarrhoetic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diarrheas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of diarrhea

1350–1400; Middle English diaria < Late Latin diarrhoea < Greek diárrhoia a flowing through, equivalent to diarrho- (variant stem of diarrheîn to flow through) + -ia -ia

Compare meaning

How does diarrhea compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dysentery vs. diarrhea

Explanation

Diarrhea is runny, watery feces that is often painful, too. People get it from the flu, spicy food, food poisoning, and a host of other nasty reasons. No one likes diarrhea, but it happens to us all. Not only is your poop watery, but you might have to go often and urgently — you probably know that feeling of running to the nearest toilet, praying you'll make it in time. Diarrhea is a symptom of the flu and other medical problems, but just eating food you're not used to can cause it. If someone can't stop talking, people sometimes use the slang expression diarrhea of the mouth.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

diarrhea diarrheas

For example, Denmark, which Kennedy has held up as a model, doesn’t pay for the rotavirus vaccine, “which prevents a virus that causes vomiting, diarrhea, and severe dehydration,” Offit says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

So are emergency department visits for diarrhea, a common symptom of cyclosporiasis, the gastrointestinal illness caused by the parasite.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The bacteria can be found in sewage and other waste and can lead to sickness, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

Caused by the parasite cyclospora, cyclosporiasis can cause diarrhea, fatigue, cramping and weight loss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

I feel like during the night, a family of raccoons built a nest in my head and then got diarrhea there.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Anemia as a Result.—Anemia is one of the most common results of prolonged diarrheal attacks, especially in those toxic diarrheas resulting from infectious diseases, dysentery, etc.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Fairfax T. Proudfit

These diarrheas are especially serious when accompanied by a steady loss in weight.

From The Mother and Her Child by William S. Sadler

The most common forms of these acute purifications are colds, catarrhal and hemorrhoidal discharges, boils, ulcers, abscesses, open sores, skin eruptions, diarrheas, etc.

From Nature Cure by Henry Lindlahr

By all sorts of acute reactions, such as skin eruptions, diarrheas, feverish, inflammatory and catarrhal conditions, boils, abscesses, mucopurulent discharges, etc.,

From Nature Cure by Henry Lindlahr

These forcible housecleanings of Nature are colds, catarrh, skin eruptions, diarrheas, boils, ulcers, abnormal perspiration, hemorrhages and many other forms of inflammatory febrile diseases.

From Nature Cure by Henry Lindlahr