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.

As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhoea develop and it can lead to organ failure.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

They may also get shortness of breath, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting or diarrhoea.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

But the video features the 29-year-old Vermonter singing from the lavatory of his hotel bathroom; with a hashtag reading "explosive diarrhoea".

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

After a CT scan and a night in hospital, the pain had got worse and new symptoms, such as diarrhoea, started to occur.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

They were used now to stomach-aches and a sort of chronic diarrhoea.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

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