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

Cholera, a dangerous bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and can be fatal without treatment, may be significantly reduced through diet.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

In clinical trials, at least 20% of patients experienced nausea, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting, and between 5% and 10% of patients, depending on which dose they were taking, discontinued treatment.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Symptoms included vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and fatigue within one to two days of consuming seafood from the harbor — consistent with norovirus infection, according to Whatcom County Health and Community Services.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

That’s because after DJ Khaled and Kenan Thompson extol the virtues of this miracle drug, a voiceover recounts a litany of potential side effects—vomiting, diarrhea, kidney problems, things of that nature.

From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026

The contagion caused severe diarrhea, dehydrating the body so that blood thickened; sufferers’ skin turned dark blue.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock