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Synonyms

bowel movement

American  

noun

  1. the evacuation of the bowels; defecation.

  2. excrement from the bowels; feces.


bowel movement British  

noun

  1. the discharge of faeces; defecation

  2. the waste matter discharged; faeces

"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

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.

The analysis uncovered 21 regions of the human genome that influence bowel movement frequency, including 10 regions that had not been identified before.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

However, things didn’t quite go to plan and Indigo became stressed and showed signs of meconium aspiration syndrome, which basically means he had a bowel movement inside of me and that became an emergency.”

From BBC • May 27, 2024

It seems anywhere scientists look for plastic, they find it: from the ice in Antarctica, to the first bowel movement produced by newborn babies.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2024

“A lot of people are obsessed with the concept of having a bowel movement every day, and it does not have to be every day.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 25, 2023

Whenever I ate these worms, whose skins were like those of miniature porcupines, my stomach would tighten in severe cramps, and I would have no bowel movement for days.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane