bulimia

noun

bu·​lim·​ia bü-ˈlē-mē-ə  byü-  -ˈli- 

1

: a serious eating disorder that occurs chiefly in females, is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or laxative or diuretic abuse, and is often accompanied by guilt and depression

called also bulimia nervosa

2

: an abnormal and constant craving for food

bulimic

bü-ˈlē-mik 

byü-

-ˈli- 

adjective or noun

Examples of bulimia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an interview with Cycling Weekly last year, Slovenian Jan Tratnik said that his desperation to lose weight led him to develop bulimia – binge-eating large amounts of food and purging it to avoid weight gain. —George Ramsay, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025

The Camp Rock alum has long been open about their past battles with self-harm, bulimia, substance abuse and bipolar disorder, delving into them in documentaries such as 2017’s Simply Complicated and 2021’s Dancing With the Devil. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025

McCurdy also recounts how her mother, who was, to be fair, already dying of cancer, carefully coached her into an eating disorder, even down to the mechanics of bulimia, in an attempt to hold back puberty. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025

During her struggle with bulimia, Keaton recalled eating 20,000 calories before forcing herself to vomit. —Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek boulimia great hunger, from bou-, augmentative prefix (from bous head of cattle) + limos hunger — more at cow

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

bulimia

noun

bu·​lim·​ia bü-ˈlē-mē-ə  byü- 

: a serious eating disorder mainly of young women that is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by intentional vomiting or laxative abuse

bulimic

-ˈlē-mik 

adjective

Medical Definition

bulimia

noun

bu·​lim·​ia byü-ˈlim-ē-ə  bü-  -ˈlē-mē- 

variants also boulimia

bü- 

1

: an abnormal and constant craving for food

called also hyperorexia

2

: a serious eating disorder that occurs chiefly in females, is characterized by compulsive overeating usually followed by self-induced vomiting or laxative or diuretic abuse, and is often accompanied by guilt and depression