bile duct

American

noun

Anatomy.

a large duct that transports bile from the liver to the duodenum, having in humans and many other vertebrates a side branch to a gallbladder for bile storage.

bile duct Scientific

Any of the passages that carry bile from the liver or gallbladder to the duodenum.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

bile ducts

plural

Etymology

Origin of bile duct

First recorded in 1765–75

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:

bile duct

Amgen said in its quarterly earnings release in late April that the drug “demonstrates effectiveness and a favorable benefit-risk profile,” and said that vanishing bile duct syndrome hadn’t affected patients in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

CA19-9 levels can rise in non-cancerous conditions like pancreatitis or bile duct obstruction, and some people do not produce the marker at all due to genetic differences.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2026

“While recovering from the transplant, he contracted a bile duct infection, which led to hemodialysis to filter out the toxins in his body.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025

She had half her pancreas, bile duct and gall bladder removed, along with part of her gut and stomach.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2025

It may also work its way into the bile duct.

From Common Diseases of Farm Animals by R. A. Craig, D.V.M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023