feces

American

[fee-seez] / ˈfi siz /

especially British, faeces

noun

(used with a plural verb)

waste matter discharged from the intestines through the anus; excrement.
dregs; sediment.

feces British

/ ˈfiːsiːz /

plural noun

the usual US spelling of faeces

"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

feces Scientific

/ fē′sēz /

Waste matter eliminated from the intestinal tract.

feces Cultural

Excrement; the waste material that is passed to the outside from the rectum through the anus.

Etymology

Origin of feces

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin faecēs grounds, dregs, sediment (plural of faex )

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.

In the Toiyabe Range of Nevada, where BTAZ’s BLM and Forest Service grazing allotments border each other, cow feces covered the ground surrounding a stock tank fed by mountain streams.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Although humans and household pets can also produce endotoxins, the researchers found that a major portion of those detected in household dust originated from cockroach feces.

From Science Daily • Nov. 4, 2025

An app called "SnapCrap" in 2018 - allowing people to photograph feces on streets and sidewalks - gained wide publicity.

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

But recently, the center has seen a pattern of dog feces being thrown in front of and onto the awning of the building’s entrance.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2025

Lumps of feces were strewn about, and little footprints trailed away from a dark hole in the floor.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

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