diarrhea

American  

[dahy-uh-ree-uh] / ˌdaɪ əˈri ə /

Or diarrhoea

noun

Pathology.

1. an intestinal disorder characterized by abnormal frequency and fluidity of fecal evacuations.

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diarrhea Scientific  

/ dī′ə-rē′ə /

1. Excessive and frequent evacuation of watery feces, usually a symptom of a gastrointestinal disorder. Severe, prolonged diarrhea can lead to dehydration.

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diarrhea Cultural  

1. The frequent passage of abnormally watery feces, which is a sign of illness.

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Other Word Forms

• antidiarrheal
  adjective
• diarrheal
  adjective
• diarrheic
  adjective
• diarrhetic
  adjective
• diarrhoeal
  adjective
• diarrhoeic
  adjective
• diarrhoetic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of diarrhea

1350–1400; Middle English diaria < Late Latin diarrhoea < Greek diárrhoia a flowing through, equivalent to diarrho- (variant stem of diarrheîn to flow through) + -ia -ia

Compare meaning

How does diarrhea compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dysentery vs. diarrhea

Explanation

Diarrhea is runny, watery feces that is often painful, too. People get it from the flu, spicy food, food poisoning, and a host of other nasty reasons. No one likes diarrhea, but it happens to us all. Not only is your poop watery, but you might have to go often and urgently — you probably know that feeling of running to the nearest toilet, praying you'll make it in time. Diarrhea is a symptom of the flu and other medical problems, but just eating food you're not used to can cause it. If someone can't stop talking, people sometimes use the slang expression diarrhea of the mouth.

Example Sentences

After four or five days, a patient may develop “wet” Ebola symptoms: watery diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Between 28.6% and 42.4% of participants reported nausea, depending on their dose, and between 25.3% and 32.0% reported diarrhea.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

The higher dosage of misoprostol required when it’s used alone can also lead to a greater incidence of benign but uncomfortable side effects like nausea and diarrhea.

From Slate • May 18, 2026

The most common adverse side effects were mostly “low-grade” rash, diarrhea, fatigue, and infusion reaction.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

They went to the clinic and pretended to have very bad diarrhea.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau