constipation
Americannoun
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constipations
plural
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a condition of the bowels in which the feces are dry and hardened and evacuation is difficult and infrequent.
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Informal. a state of slowing down, sluggishness, or inactivity.
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Obsolete. the act of crowding anything into a smaller compass; condensation.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of constipation
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English constipacioun, from Middle French, from Late Latin constīpātiōn-, stem of constīpātiō; equivalent to constipate + -ion
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Example Sentences
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Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea and, more rarely, gallbladder or kidney problems and depression.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
In people with constipation-predominant IBS, or in healthy individuals, further slowing intestinal movement could make constipation or related symptoms worse.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
In addition to using coffee enemas to treat cancer, the majority of users online report turning to them for constipation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“It’s not just colorectal cancer or constipation or diarrhea,” says Pasricha, author of the book, “You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
“But enough about me. Something tells me you aren’t here to enjoy yourself. Unless, in your old age, this look of constipation has become your natural expression. Honestly, I can’t tell.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
I had no idea about things like the severe constipations, the bleeding gums or that my lasered moustache would come back.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 9, 2016
I had no idea about things like the severe constipations, the bleeding gums or that my lasered moustache would come back You’re the first comedian to make a special while pregnant.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 9, 2016
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
