excrete
Americanverb (used with object)
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excretes,
present (3rd person singular)
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excreted,
past participle, past
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excreting
present participle
verb
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to discharge (waste matter, such as urine, sweat, carbon dioxide, or faeces) from the body through the kidneys, skin, lungs, bowels, etc
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(of plants) to eliminate (waste matter, such as carbon dioxide and salts) through the leaves, roots, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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excretesimple
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excretessimple
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have excretedperfect
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has excretedperfect
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am excretingprogressive
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are excretingprogressive
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is excretingprogressive
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have been excretingperfect progressive
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has been excretingperfect progressive
Past
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excretedsimple
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had excretedperfect
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was excretingprogressive
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were excretingprogressive
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had been excretingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of excrete
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin excrētus “sifted out,” past participle of excernere “to sift out, separate,” from ex- ex- 1 + cernere “to decide, separate, sift”
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:
The body can then easily excrete the metals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2024
Excess sugar consumption also causes the body to excrete excess calcium, instead of reabsorbing it in the kidney as the body normally would.
From Salon ● May 1, 2024
A handful of labs are studying bats from other genera, and initial findings suggest they have varying abilities to excrete and transmit the pandemic virus.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 4, 2023
When dogs excrete resistant bacteria into the environment and home, there is the potential for these bacteria to be passed on to their owners and other people.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2023
I wanted to reach out for him, to put my hand on his shoulder, to let him excrete stress hormones or scream or do whatever he needed to do.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
When water is lost, the body also excretes key electrolytes such as potassium and sodium.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
They discovered N. intermedia produces and excretes many enzymes as it grows.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 14, 2024
She added that researchers have yet to find a species that, when infected, excretes much live virus in its feces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
It excretes a sticky substance called honeydew that can collect on outdoor furniture.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 19, 2022
“He excretes in prodigious amounts, Karen, not seen on the earth since prehistoric times when dinosaurs let fly,” Ben said.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
He explains that if you eat too much, it has to be excreted by the kidneys and liver which can become overloaded.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“Most of it doesn’t get metabolized, meaning that we don’t extract energy from it, and it passes through and is excreted in the stool,” Fetter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
For one, there are many different kinds that all look different, and evidence of parasitic infection can be excreted as parasitic larvae, which are microscopic.
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
"We take human kidney cells that are excreted in the urine and reprogram them to evolve into nerve cells," explains Barbara Gisevius.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2024
An American near Billy wailed that he had excreted everything but his brains.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Camels help it spread by eating the pods and excreting them far and wide.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
He was excreting things he had never seen in his stool before and feeling things he had never felt before.
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
Researchers have long known that mammals and birds can play a key role in spreading seeds, often by eating fruit and then excreting the seeds.
From Science Magazine ● May 8, 2024
They lie on and burrow under the sand all day, sucking, digesting, and excreting sediment, consuming bacteria and other organics.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2024
Human beings in there were excreting into steel helmets which were passed to the people at the ventilators, who dumped them.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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