feces
Americannoun
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waste matter discharged from the intestines through the anus; excrement.
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dregs; sediment.
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of feces
1425–75; late Middle English < Latin faecēs grounds, dregs, sediment (plural of faex )
Explanation
Feces is a technical word for poop: the brown stuff you excrete from your butt. Everyone makes feces. Also called a bowel movement or stool — plus hundreds of terms in slang — feces is the solid waste material your body makes when you go number two. This isn't the word you'd probably use with your buddies, but it is the right word if you're writing a paper or talking to a teacher. Talking about feces can seem funny, but it's pretty important: if you couldn't make feces, you'd die.
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.
The rare respiratory disease, for which there is no cure, typically spreads through the urine, feces and saliva of infected rodents.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
The strain on the cruise ship is mostly spread by long-tailed pygmy rice rats via their saliva, feces or urine.
From Salon • May 11, 2026
Research suggests pets can introduce these chemicals into the environment through feces, urine, and even shed hair.
From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2026
Transmission most often occurs when people or pets ingest food or water contaminated with raccoon feces.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026
And the girls were still checking the reflection of their feces in their cell phone screens, powdering their cheeks, and buttering their lips.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
