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

Weight-loss surgery and some medicines used for diabetes or acid reflux can also reduce absorption.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

By his final year on the job, his doctor told him he was dealing with prediabetes, fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, acid reflux, and obesity.

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026

A mum whose baby daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour, after her symptoms were dismissed as colic and reflux for more than two months, is calling for better awareness of the condition.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

They mark the flux and reflux of this great battle.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 81, July, 1864 by Various

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

From US News ● Jun. 11, 2014

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

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

They are with him in the play of feelings, with him in the fluxes and refluxes of his thought—learning his ways of mind without realizing it.

From The Jesus of History by Glover, T. R.

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)