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

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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

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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

Here, gut microbes break down nutrients that escaped earlier digestion, producing compounds such as short-chain fatty acids.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Although this approach is practical and widely used, it cannot fully explain what happens during digestion.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

The vagus nerve is an important communication pathway between the brain and digestive system, helping coordinate functions such as digestion and hormone release.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

The study focused on the intestinal microbiome, the vast community of bacteria that has evolved alongside humans and helps with digestion, immune function, and other essential processes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

“This is good for digestion and high cholesterol. After eating those carnitas tonight, we all need it.”

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

“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

In the face of the barrages of entertainment fired at them by advertisers, U.S. children have not only retained their sanity and their digestions but kept a deadly critical sense.

From Time Magazine Archive

The program had its own special Congressman's nightmare: the thought of raising taxes*raised the hackles on members' necks and troubled their digestions.

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

Their mother urged them to be quicker, and their father defeated her authority by insisting that the slower they ate the better for their digestions.

From The Stronger Influence by F.E. Mills Young

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Related Words

• absorption
• metabolism

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