digestion

American  

[dih-jes-chuhn, dahy-] / dɪˈdʒɛs tʃən, daɪ- /

noun

• digestions
  plural

1. the process in the alimentary canal by which food is broken up physically, as by the action of the teeth, and chemically, as by the action of enzymes, and converted into a substance suitable for absorption and assimilation into the body.

2. the function or power of digesting food.

   My digestion is bad.

3. the act of digesting or the state of being digested.

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digestion British  

/ dɪˈdʒɛstʃən, daɪ- /

noun

1. the act or process in living organisms of breaking down ingested food material into easily absorbed and assimilated substances by the action of enzymes and other agents

2. mental assimilation, esp of ideas

3. bacteriol the decomposition of sewage by the action of bacteria

4. chem the treatment of material with heat, solvents, chemicals, etc, to cause softening or decomposition

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digestion Scientific  

/ dī-jĕs′chən /

1. The process by which food is broken down into simple chemical compounds that can be absorbed and used as nutrients or eliminated by the body. In most animals, nutrients are obtained from food by the action of digestive enzymes. In humans and other higher vertebrates, digestion takes place mainly in the small intestine. In protists and some invertebrates, digestion occurs by phagocytosis.

2. The decomposition of organic material, such as sewage, by bacteria.

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digestion Cultural  

1. The breaking down of food, which is made up of complex organic molecules (see also organic molecule), into smaller molecules that the body can absorb and use for maintenance and growth.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondigestion
  noun
• redigestion
  noun
• self-digestion
  noun
• digestional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• digestions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of digestion

1350–1400; Middle English digestioun < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin dīgestiōn- (stem of dīgestiō ), equivalent to dīgest ( us ) ( see digest) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Digestion is the process your body goes through to break the food you eat into substances that it can absorb and use. Chewing is an important first step in digestion, because your teeth make food small enough to swallow. Your digestion isn't usually something you spend much time thinking about, unless you eat something that upsets your digestion — then the process can be uncomfortable. You can also describe the breakdown of other types of material — when it's exposed to chemicals or bacteria, for example — as digestion. A figurative kind of digestion happens when you think through complicated information and begin to make sense of it all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

digestion digestions

He wrote that Amazon Web Services is “coming through the capex digestion phase faster, and more profitably, than feared,” in a reference to how the company is translating its capital expenditures into financial opportunities.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

It contributes to emotional state, digestion, sleep, memory, and blood clotting.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Regular consumption of the high-fibre, protein-packed snack is often linked to stronger immune systems, improved digestion, and greater bone density.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

O’Mara says the diet leads to a reduction in visceral fat, which wraps around organs, as well as a more robust microbiome, which can help with digestion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

“Mother, you are standing on my tablets. Will you please move a little? Isn’t it enough that you have destroyed my digestion without destroying the fruits of my brain also?”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

“Here are some reliable recipes for seasonable candies warranted to be no more harmful to youthful digestions and appetites than most other candies.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2014

Though their digestions may have suffered, their smiles were undimmed, the lips stiff and upper throughout.

From Time Magazine Archive

Healthy men with strong digestions, Robert Burton held, need less sleep than those with weak stomachs; sanguine and choleric men need less than the phlegmatic, and the melancholic need most of all.

From Time Magazine Archive

That meant that Professor Bunting probably was through fussing with the mouths, meals, appetites and digestions of the 300 orphans, whom he has had under close dietary supervision for the past five years.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is of more consequence that our digestions should be permitted to work at regular hours, than that they should have an over-easy diet.

From Household Organization by Florence Caddy

Related Words

• absorption
• metabolism