reflux

American  

[ree-fluhks] / ˈriˌflʌks /

noun

refluxes plural

1. a flowing back; ebb.

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reflux British  

/ ˈriːflʌks /

verb

1. chem to boil or be boiled in a vessel attached to a condenser, so that the vapour condenses and flows back into the vessel

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noun

1. chem

   1. an act of refluxing

   2. ( as modifier )

      a reflux condenser

2. the act or an instance of flowing back; ebb

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• refluxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of reflux

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word refluxus. See re-, flux

Explanation

Use the noun reflux to talk about a medical condition that gives you an acidic taste in your mouth and a burning feeling in your chest. If a patient suffers from reflux, his stomach and esophagus aren't working quite right — they're allowing acid to flow backwards, which results in discomfort and nausea. There are various ailments that can be defined as reflux, including indigestion and heartburn, as well as conditions that affect babies who have trouble swallowing. Another kind of reflux is the tide's ebb, or outward flow. This is the oldest meaning of the word, which comes from the Latin fluxus, "a flowing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reflux refluxes

Between 40 and 70 percent of patients on these drugs report gastrointestinal adverse effects, like acid reflux, chronic diarrhea, and/or constipation.

From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2026

"Maybe there's a bit more acid reflux and arthritis," he joked.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

By suppressing stomach acid, these drugs ease symptoms of ulcers, gastritis, and reflux.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 26, 2026

Cowell deemed this acid reflux extravaganza to be “small.”

From Salon ● May 31, 2025

Strange fact, though not the less real, the ocean, in the vast terrestrial journey round the sun, becomes, with its flux and reflux, the balance of the globe.

From Toilers of the Sea by Hugo, Victor

Food and acid from the stomach backs up, or refluxes, into the esophagus.

From US News ● Jun. 11, 2014

But speaking in less general language, it is to follow the fluxes and refluxes of the mind when agitated by the great and simple affections of our nature.

From Lyrical Ballads, with Other Poems, 1800, Volume 1 by Wordsworth, William

The human river of the Strand fluxes and refluxes before this central spot, and Trafalgar Square, and Waterloo Place, and Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament are near.

From From the Oak to the Olive A Plain record of a Pleasant Journey by Howe, Julia Ward

The incident throws light upon the "fluxes and refluxes of feeling" within him, and the effect upon him of a spirit with something of his own tenderness and humour.

From The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire by Glover, T. R. (Terrot Reaveley)

The refluxes of the heart are as inevitable as those of the sea; the lights of the heart are as fixed as those of the night.

From The Memoirs of Victor Hugo by Hugo, Victor