Synonyms

urinate

American

[yoor-uh-neyt] / ˈyʊər əˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

urinated, urinating

to pass or discharge urine.

urinate British

/ ˈjʊərɪˌneɪt /

verb

(intr) to excrete or void urine; micturate

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of urinate

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin ūrīnātus, past participle of ūrīnāre, equivalent to Latin ūrīn ( a ) urine + -ātus -ate ¹

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.

"I walked into an open cubicle in the women's toilets to be welcomed by a man about to urinate," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Alarmed at the realness of their struggle, they toss their smallfolk a cash bump, a modest promotion, or maybe, if they’re really lucky, a nicer place to urinate.

From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026

Many women who are forced to sit or lie down for long periods in hospital struggle to urinate without pain and movement.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2025

Mrs Cook's symptoms worsened over the following months: her appetite "diminished", she needed to urinate more and by September 2021 her stomach had distended to the point that she looked pregnant.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2025

The girl has always sat to urinate like other girls.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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