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.
Nick Florko: It’s a parasite that is spread by human feces, specifically feces that is left out in the environment to mature and gets infectious.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Hachadourian says some blooms smell like dog feces and others like rotting flesh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Prions can be shed through urine and feces for months or even years, contaminating vegetation and soil.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
In the U.S., hantavirus cases occur year-round and are transmitted via the urine, feces and saliva of wild rodents.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
The water looks yellowish and often I swim away from the dead animals, garbage, and feces that float by.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
