defecate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
defecates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defecated,
past participle, past
-
defecating
present participle
-
to void excrement from the bowels through the anus; have a bowel movement.
-
to become clear of dregs, impurities, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
defecates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defecated,
past participle, past
-
defecating
present participle
verb
-
(intr) to discharge waste from the body through the anus
-
(tr) to clarify or remove impurities from (a solution, esp of sugar)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defecatesimple
-
defecatessimple
-
have defecatedperfect
-
has defecatedperfect
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am defecatingprogressive
-
are defecatingprogressive
-
is defecatingprogressive
-
have been defecatingperfect progressive
-
has been defecatingperfect progressive
Past
-
defecatedsimple
-
had defecatedperfect
-
was defecatingprogressive
-
were defecatingprogressive
-
had been defecatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defecate
First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin dēfaecātus (past participle of dēfaecāre “to cleanse, refine”), equivalent to dē- de- + faec- (stem of faex “dregs, sediment”) + -ātus -ate 1
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:
Meanwhile, the locals in the nearby town of Gerlach, Nevada, worried about where all those people planned to defecate.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
He said he had to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in bin bags, and that the last time he had a shower was at the end of 2024.
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
Consider, then, taking in a mammal that can fell a tree, chew through wire, weighs 30 to 60 pounds full-grown, loves to wrestle, needs to swim and can only defecate in water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
In the cooler months of the year — historically from April to September — snakes become sluggish and may not eat, drink, defecate or even move for weeks at a time.
From New York Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
At school and during field work, all students had to ask permission to urinate or defecate.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
After she is fired from her job for napping in the supply closet, she defecates on the floor of the gallery.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 2, 2018
"I mean, somebody who defecates in public has mental health issues. It's as simple as that. If you're socialised, that's the last thing that you would do."
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2018
Snaps at people, defecates indoors, knows no boundaries.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2017
In half of Indian households with a working latrine, someone in the family defecates outdoors anyway — mostly men.
From New York Times ● Jul. 13, 2014
After all, even when everyone defecates righteously, there are villages upstream from us.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
A man tried to wrestle a Canada goose, while a woman defecated at the edge of the park’s lake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
The digital pets, which need attending to when they are hungry, sick or have defecated on the virtual floor, grow up as users care for them -- but can die if they are neglected.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
Between us, we have defecated in cat holes, WAG bags, and oil drums alongside service members of different genders and sexual identities.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2025
The scientists have fed the bats pawpaw fruit and, once the bats have defecated on the tarpaulin, they take swabs of the bright orange droppings and store them in test tubes.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2023
The prisoners urinated and defecated wherever they could.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Suddenly, Stacy must confront that cabin and her dread of defecating in an outhouse.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2026
They’ve complained about TikTokers trespassing onto countryside farms, tourists defecating on private property and near-fist fights over trailhead parking—not to mention unsafe traffic blockages on narrow roads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
"This is about public decency, public dignity, we can't have people defecating behind hedges," he says.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2025
A website with a poop emoji as its mascot sprang up to coordinate hundreds, if not thousands of people defecating along the banks on the day of her swim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2024
They also tried to refrain from defecating, believing that this would make them feel full and less obsessed with food.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
