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.

People most often contract toxoplasmosis by eating undercooked meat or coming into contact with contaminated soil or cat feces.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Transmission most often occurs when people or pets ingest food or water contaminated with raccoon feces.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

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

From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025

It’s unclear who is throwing the feces — or why.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2025

Mary Anne, using a spatula from her mother’s silver service, was shaping the feces into a remote semblance of a cake.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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