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.

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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

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

Cyclosporiasis is a parasitic infection that can cause diarrhea, vomiting and intense abdominal pain that can last for weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Constipation, diarrhea, unusually narrow stools, or a lasting change in normal bowel habits may indicate an underlying problem.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

The regulators are investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that is responsible for making at least 1,600 people sick with a severe gastrointestinal illness that causes watery diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

We still don’t know what exactly is driving our national outbreak of cyclosporiasis, the parasitic infection that has stricken thousands of Americans with explosive diarrhea.

From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026

I knew he’d had diarrhea before, from the stains he’d had when I found him, but his not having any now was more worrying than reassuring.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

In diarrheas the use of fruits and vegetables should be avoided; the best diet after the milk is bread well toasted through, toast-water, soft-boiled eggs, beefsteak, oyster stew, and clam broth.

From The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; a study in hygiene by Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)

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.

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.

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

From Dietetics for Nurses by Proudfit, Fairfax T.

These forcible housecleanings of Nature are colds, catarrh, skin eruptions, diarrheas, boils, ulcers, abnormal perspiration, hemorrhages and many other forms of inflammatory febrile diseases.

From Nature Cure by Lindlahr, Henry