diuretic

American  

[dahy-uh-ret-ik] / ˌdaɪ əˈrɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. increasing the volume of the urine excreted, as by a medicinal substance.

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noun

• diuretics
  plural

1. a diuretic medicine or agent.

diuretic British  

/ ˌdaɪjʊˈrɛtɪk /

adjective

1. acting to increase the flow of urine

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noun

1. a drug or agent that increases the flow of urine

diuretic Scientific  

/ dī′ə-rĕt′ĭk /

1. A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine. Diuretics are used in the treatment of high blood pressure, edema, and other medical conditions.

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diuretic Cultural  

1. A substance that increases the rate of urine production.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• diureticalness
  noun
• undiuretic
  adjective
• diuretically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• diuretics
  plural

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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

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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

See Examples For:

diuretic diuretics

“There’s this myth that coffee is a diuretic and is going to dehydrate you, it’s not true,” says Juli MacKenna, manager of clinical nutrition at Tufts Medicine MelroseWakefield Hospital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Looking back, Anaïs is now convinced the strange taste in the coffee Nègre made her was the diuretic.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

In that case, Judge Keith Ellison defined “heat-sensitive” broadly, covering people taking antipsychotic, anticholinergic, or diuretic drugs, along with anyone diagnosed with psychiatric conditions, obesity, diabetes, or hypertension, among other things.

From Slate ● Jul. 31, 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

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

The use of diuretics in this way is "very unusual" according to Prof Jean-Claude Alvarez, who runs the pilot at the Raymond-Poincaré AP-HP Hospital.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

For more than three decades, thiazide diuretics, a common medication used for high blood pressure, have been the standard of care for kidney stone prevention because they reduce the excretion of urinary calcium.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023

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

Mild diuretics and tonics would therefore be evidently indicated.

From Domestic Animals History and description of the horse, mule, cattle, sheep, swine, poultry and farm dogs; with directions for their management, breeding, crossing, rearing, feeding, and preparation for a profitable market; also their diseases and remedies. Together with full directions for the management of the dairy. by Richard L. Allen

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