flatulence

American  

[flach-uh-luhns] / ˈflætʃ ə ləns /

Sometimes flatulency

noun

1. the condition of having an accumulation of gas in the alimentary canal.

   To avoid the uncomfortable feeling of flatulence, increase your fiber intake gradually.

2. the expulsion of alimentary gas through the anus.

   Symptoms include abdominal discomfort, flatulence, and headache.

3. inflated and empty speech or writing; unsupported pretension; pomposity.

   His lectures, noted for their flatulence, were popular fodder for mocking.

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Etymology

Origin of flatulence

First recorded in 1700–10; from French ; flatul(ent) ( def. ) + -ence ( def. )

Example Sentences

Eating foods that contain gluten can trigger a range of gut symptoms, such as diarrhoea, stomach aches, sloating and flatulence, indigestion and constipation.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

In research published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X, a study led by UMD assistant research scientist Santiago Botasini used the device to measure flatulence in healthy adults.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

Researchers have developed a tiny, battery-powered hydrogen sensor that continuously monitors a wearer’s flatulence, with the aim of collecting data to improve digestive health.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

“We desperately need to understand what the baseline of human flatulence patterns are. It’s 2026 and we don’t know how many times the average American is farting every day.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

But underneath it all she could not conceive that the boy the gypsies took away was the same lout who would eat half a suckling pig for lunch and whose flatulence withered the flowers.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez