faeces

American

[fee-seez] / ˈfi siz /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

feces.

faeces British

/ ˈfiːsiːz /

plural noun

bodily waste matter derived from ingested food and the secretions of the intestines and discharged through the anus

"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

faecal adjective

Etymology

Origin of faeces

C15: from Latin faecēs , plural of faex sediment, dregs

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.

Other symptoms include blood in faeces, unexplained weight loss and fatigue.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

The two bacteria are spread through contact with contaminated faeces, either directly through person-to-person transmission or indirectly from unclean food, water or surfaces.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

"Every organism is releasing their DNA into their respective environment" in the form of feathers, hair, scales, mucus or even faeces, Fruehe said.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Within three months, the mice that received old faeces started to exhibit depressive-like behaviour.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

Sapiens even collected animal faeces to nourish the ground in which wheat grew.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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