excreta

American

[ik-skree-tuh] / ɪkˈskri tə /

noun

(usually used with a plural verb)

excreted matter, as urine, feces, or sweat.

excreta British

/ ɪkˈskriːtə /

plural noun

waste matter, such as urine, faeces, or sweat, discharged from the body; excrement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

excretal

adjective

Etymology

Origin of excreta

1855–60; < Latin excrēta things sifted out or separated, neuter plural of excrētus; see excrete

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.

Plus, excreta is a lagging indicator, so it’s doubly difficult to connect the dots.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

The team collected excreta samples daily during the entire experimental period and analyzed DNA to identify bacteria present.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024

Outbreaks are sporadic and previous infections in South Asia have occurred when people drank date-palm sap contaminated with bat excreta.

From Reuters • Sep. 13, 2023

With plenty of flat land and rich soil, the British could afford to chuck out their excreta, and so they did.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2021

I see intestine wounds that are constantly full of excreta.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023