diarrhea

American  

[dahy-uh-ree-uh] / ˌdaɪ əˈri ə /

Or diarrhoea

noun

Pathology.

diarrheas plural

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

---

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.

---

diarrhea Cultural  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diarrheas
  plural

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

See Examples For:

diarrhea diarrheas

News of cyclosporiasis and the resulting diarrhea have spread widely on social media in recent days with some saying that it could give GLP-1s a run for its money in the weight loss realm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

The outbreak is due to cyclosporiasis, an illness that can cause explosive diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramping.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

So far, 34 states have reported cases of cyclosporiasis, a foodborne-illness that can cause explosive diarrhea and vomiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Alas, the old girl couldn’t compete with the assortment of crises that transpired during the show’s three-week hiatus, including the once-in-a-lifetime comedy opportunity presented by explosive headlines about explosive diarrhea.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

The symptoms of cholera were severe vomiting and diarrhea, leading to dehydration, weakness, and often death.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Dietetic Treatment.—Practically the same as in other diarrheas.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.

Anemia as a Result.—Anemia is one of the most common results of prolonged diarrheal attacks, especially in those toxic diarrheas resulting from infectious diseases, dysentery, etc.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.

By all sorts of acute reactions, such as skin eruptions, diarrheas, feverish, inflammatory and catarrhal conditions, boils, abscesses, mucopurulent discharges, etc.,

From Nature Cure by Lindlahr, Henry

The most common forms of these acute purifications are colds, catarrhal and hemorrhoidal discharges, boils, ulcers, abscesses, open sores, skin eruptions, diarrheas, etc.

From Nature Cure by Lindlahr, Henry

As the fat content of the oatmeal gives it a more laxative effect, it is undesirable to use it at the season in which the summer diarrheas are prevalent.

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.