bowel
Americannoun
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bowels
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Inflammatory bowel disease includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, two chronic conditions that affect approximately 500,000 people in the UK and millions more around the world.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
The research marks an important advance toward personalized treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
The company’s third-quarter update offered a peek at clinical-trial results due next year, which include late-stage studies for inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis, hemophilia A and lymphoma.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The therapy, which brought in $17.6 billion last year, is widely prescribed for patients with autoimmune disorders like inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
At an early age my mother sat me down and explained that everyone has bowel movements.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
You will likely encounter it only as a rumor from the deepest bowels of the world’s top intelligence establishments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Eventually John meets his fate by falling through a portal into an abandoned mall, then following signs directing him to a manager’s office hidden in its bowels.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
Not all donations make it to the bookcases but instead are kept in storage in the bowels of Downing Street.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“For a program that’s been around since 2013, it was shocking that you’d come across its cancellation, effectively, in the corner of the bowels of a subpage of the internet.”
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
Hidden away as they are in the bowels of the earth, to protect them from the casual intruder, they must have been considered far more serious than decoration.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
He lightly runs to earth the quaint Red worm and, deftly troweling, He makes it with his boweling Familiarly acquaint.
From Black Beetles in Amber by Ambrose Bierce
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
