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Synonyms

fart

American  
[fahrt] / fɑrt /

noun

  • farts
    plural
  1. a release of intestinal gas through the anus; a flatus.

  2. an irritating or foolish person.


verb (used without object)

  • farts,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • farted,
    past participle,  past
  • farting
    present participle
  1. to expel intestinal gas through the anus; break wind.

verb phrase

  1. fart around to spend time foolishly or aimlessly.

fart British  
/ fɑːt /

noun

  1. an emission of intestinal gas from the anus, esp an audible one

  2. a contemptible person

"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

verb

  1. to expel intestinal gas from the anus; to break wind

    1. to behave foolishly or aimlessly

    2. to waste time

"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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future


Etymology

Origin of fart

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ferten, farten (verb), fert, fart (noun); cognate with Greek pérdein (verb), pordḗ (noun)


Explanation

We don’t all like to admit it, but we all fart. That is, we all pass smelly gas out of our anus. Kids — and a few adults too — find farting funny. If someone lets out a long fart during church or class, someone is bound to laugh. However, the teacher probably won’t laugh, and the culprit could be in big trouble. Be careful about accusing others of farting, because one of the oldest rules of the schoolyard is “He who smelt it, dealt it.” A less slangy word for fart is flatulence.

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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:

"Well, everybody loves a good fart joke, regardless of your age," Serkis laughs.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Did he just have a brain fart and forget that Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the primary?

From Slate ● May 30, 2026

But do you know how when you fart, it always sounds like a question mark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

Hall, frustrated, told his colleagues, “I bet if I fart on it, it will work.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

I made a fart noise with my mouth.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

"The most beautiful moment - which is so magnificent and marvellous and dreamy - and yet, it smells of farts."

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

Not to mention the distinctive smell of feces and flatus, i.e., farts.

From Salon ● May 31, 2025

They sleep in the same bed and complain about each other’s farts.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

“And then Adrienne flipped to the next screen and it was an older woman with no teeth who’s singing into a microphone and then farts into it,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024

Garrett was the king of phony farts at Trace Middle.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

“I farted in the supermarket,” comedian Jordan Conley read from a piece of paper he’d drawn from the box.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

The actress said the following day she "went to the set and, because I was squatting on the floor, all het up, I farted in front of him. I was mortified".

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

“If I farted, I would have definitely been laughing, because farts are always funny,” she added.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 17, 2022

I ask because I saw a lot of people on Twitter say that they would have farted in Roger Goodell’s chair.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2021

I think Minho’s farted three times in the last minute.

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Actors spend years building a certain cool image, but within seconds of appearing onscreen in this movie, you’re whining, farting and generally making an ass of yourself.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

"It makes a huge farting noise basically," says John Harrison, director of the site, as he explains where its name originates.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

The Galacticoaster, after all, has a farting space cow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

“It’s 2026 and we don’t know how many times the average American is farting every day.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Gale the polecat skittered around the goddess’s feet, farting and gnashing her teeth.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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