diarrhoea

British

/ ˌdaɪəˈrɪə /

noun

frequent and copious discharge of abnormally liquid faeces

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

diarrhoeal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of diarrhoea

C16: from Late Latin, from Greek diarrhoia, from diarrhein to flow through, from _dia- + rhein to flow

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:

diarrhoea

The cases were detected in Tshwane, the area which includes Pretoria, after people reported to their local hospital with "stomach cramps and diarrhoea" over a two-week period, officials said.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

There can also be some unwanted side effects from using protein powders such as bloating, gas, cramps, and diarrhoea.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Two people have died and 570 were hospitalised in recent months in relation to the outbreak of cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that can cause explosive diarrhoea.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

The agency also monitors cases of diarrhoea brought on by reduced access to clean water due to the drought, with 225 cases so far this month.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

There was, I believe, a lavatory somewhere along the corridor, but only an attack of acute diarrhoea would be accepted as an excuse for visiting it.

From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023