1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

excrement

noun

ˈek-skrə-mənt How to pronounce excrement (audio)
Definition of excrementnext
as in dung
solid matter discharged from an animal's alimentary canal an ordinance that requires dog walkers to remove their animal's excrement from city streets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excrement The controversy goes beyond the fact that many may find Muehl’s artwork involving graphic nudity, violence, and the use of blood and excrement as materials distasteful. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026 This ancient excrement helps illustrate how and when animal life began to truly diversify on the planet. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026 Realizing they are being had, Cubans respond to their government on the chat with emojis of excrement or the US flag. — Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 15 July 2026 Nutrient inputs include decaying leaf litter and bird excrement that are deposited in the pool directly, along with fertilizer runoff and sewage, which enters the Potomac River and the Tidal Basin. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for excrement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excrement
  1. dung
  2. soil
  3. dirt
Noun
  • During the first re-inspection, the inspector saw about 10 pieces of rodent dung under the air-conditioning unit, seven in the hallway by the back door and three under storage by the hallway bathroom.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In southern India, for example, villagers are allowing – and even paying – herders to use their land in exchange for dung, the natural fertilizer that farmers need to produce higher-value organic crops.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dung
Noun
  • Introduced crawling through the Trask family’s field, her black blood spattering their rich soil like a human pesticide, Cathy personifies the series’ potent blend of dread and beauty.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Kenya’s President William Ruto and his counterparts from Uganda, Ethiopia, Togo, Benin and Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo led a ground breaking ceremony at the site, shoveling soil to show that work on the refinery has started.
    — Evelyne Musambi, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of soil
Noun
  • Leslie Goldman, who lives near Studebaker and Stearns, said large piles of dirt — at times higher than cars — have blocked residents from crossing the street or seeing oncoming traffic.
    — Barbara Kingsley-Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • While white doors can also show scuffs and dirt more easily, the hue is timeless and pairs well with a variety of exterior fixtures and colors.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of dirt

Browse Nearby Words

excoriations
excrement
excrescence
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Excrement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excrement. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on excrement

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about excrement

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All