indigestion
Americannoun
-
uncomfortable inability or difficulty in digesting food; dyspepsia.
-
an instance or case of indigestion.
noun
Etymology
Origin of indigestion
1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin indīgestiōn- (stem of indīgestiō ). See in- 2, digestion
Explanation
Indigestion is what happens when your body has trouble digesting food and you get a stomach ache. Some indigestion can be avoided by chewing slowly and not eating a large pepperoni pizza for breakfast. If your stomach feels uncomfortable after a big meal, or you can't stop burping, it's probably indigestion. Some people know what food gives them indigestion, whether it's ice cream, fried foods, or hamburgers, and in many cases indigestion can be soothed with medicine or home remedies like ginger tea or peppermint. Indigestion adds the "not" prefix in- to digestion, which comes from the Latin root digestus, "digested thing."
Vocabulary lists containing indigestion
Charlotte's Web
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The Chocolate Touch
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A Boy Called Bat
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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.
At the risk of giving you indigestion, LFS Wealth Advisors in Lenexa, Kan., warns investors such as yourself about the hidden cost of free dinners.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
“The sell-off in software because of AI is more about indigestion as opposed to a total collapse in demand.”
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
The final product is the literary equivalent of a multicourse meal in a German restaurant—you’re left satiated, but not entirely satisfied, and may feel some indigestion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025
Even before that tour, Wendy Dio says Ronnie was having trouble with indigestion and visited a specialist in Beverly Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2024
I would probably have indigestion if I ate one—now that I no longer felt ashamed of the things I had always loved, I probably could no longer digest very many of them.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
