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

The autonomic nervous system helps regulate many automatic functions in the body, including digestion.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026

Rather than testing people directly, they recreated aspects of human digestion in the laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Moving the jaw muscles activates the big salivary glands. It cleans the mouth, it protects the teeth and it's vital for digestion."

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

In fact, it was the answer to all of the strange health problems she had been experiencing for years - issues with digestion, fatigue, and pain.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“Then again, Grandpap’s life has been dull and contented as a frog’s on a rock. ‘Good lives make bad plays,’ as they say, but all that peace and quiet surely helps the digestion.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

“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

The Michelin inspectors are a kind of Palate Guard chosen for their iron digestions, sensitive palates and impeccable integrity.

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

More strong digestions like his are needed to assimilate the art of the past and give the impetus necessary to handle new facets of today's vision.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Well, you know I've got a weak heart, and——" "A good digestion," laughed Mr. Harkness; "and speaking of digestions, reminds me that we haven't had any dinner."

From The Boy Scouts On The Range by Lieut. Howard Payson

Related Words

• absorption
• metabolism