diuretic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of diuretic
First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English d(i)uretik, from Late Latin diūrēticus, from Greek diourētikós, from di- di- 3 + ourē- (verb stem of oureîn “to urinate”; cf. uro- 1 ( def. )) + -tikos -tic
Explanation
A diuretic is anything — food, drink, or medicine — that increases the flow of urine. In other words, it makes you pee. Usually, going "number one" is no big deal, but sometimes people have trouble going. That's where diuretics come in: they make you urinate more. A common reason to take diuretics would be a problem with your kidneys. Taking a diuretic can be very important in getting excess water and also toxins out of your body. Coffee and alcohol aren't usually recommended by doctors, but they're also diuretics since they tend to make you urinate.
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:
Coffee acts as a diuretic and can lower blood pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Though caffeine is a diuretic, consuming up to 400 mg of it daily can actually help with hydration, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ King.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2024
The plant contains dozens of bioactive chemical compounds and is used throughout Southeast Asia and China as a painkiller, fever reducer, and diuretic.
From Science Magazine ● May 1, 2024
Within 24 hours of admission for acute heart failure, patients were randomized to receive either dapagliflozin or conventional diuretic treatment.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Aureliano Segundo submitted secretly to the burning baths of permanganate and to diuretic waters, and both were cured separately after three months of secret suffering.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"Patients with tricuspid regurgitation are extremely high risk for any type of surgical intervention, so historically they have just been monitored and treated with diuretics."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2024
She points out that certain medications—including some psychiatrics, diuretics, stimulants and antihistamines—can reduce the body’s ability to manage heat.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 21, 2023
Those that make the heat more dangerous include certain anti-depressants, diuretics, and blood pressure medicine, which can interfere with kidney function and electrolyte levels.
From National Geographic ● Sep. 14, 2023
Certain medications like statins, antihistamines and diuretics may also increase skin and scalp dryness, Alam said.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2023
Paracentesis was performed several times; cathartics, diuretics, the lancet, blisters, and tonics were resorted to, with relief from some of the symptoms.
From North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826 by Bache, Franklin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
