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.

After pets take these medications, the active compounds pass through their bodies and are excreted in feces.

From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2026

All three parasites spread through poor sanitation, typically when food, water, or hands are contaminated with human feces.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2025

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

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

Mark flushes Miranda’s toilet and it overflows, sending a previous occupant’s feces all over the tile.

From Salon • Aug. 15, 2025

The room smelled like cooking meat, and then like feces.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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