defecate

verb

def·​e·​cate ˈde-fi-ˌkāt 

defecated; defecating

intransitive verb

: to discharge feces from the bowels

transitive verb

1

: to discharge from the anus

2

: to free from impurity or corruption

Examples of defecate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a person in jail expresses a desire to self-harm, they are stripped naked, put in a safety cell and forced to defecate and urinate into a metal grate. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025

The livestock, according to the report, destroy the habitats by defecating and urinating in the streams, trampling on the banks and ravaging vegetation. —Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025

Their village lacks toilets and sanitation, and people defecate in the open, which health officials say puts around 2,000 other children at risk of contracting polio, which can be spread by contact with human waste. —Ruchi Kumar, NPR, 16 Apr. 2025

Dayana’s young son witnessed the arrests and wasn’t able to defecate for weeks after. —Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin defaecatus, past participle of defaecare, from de- + faec-, faex dregs, lees

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for defecate

• hecate

Kids Definition

defecate

verb

def·​e·​cate ˈdef-i-ˌkāt 

defecated; defecating

: to expel feces from the bowels

defecation

ˌdef-i-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

defecate

verb

def·​e·​cate

variants or chiefly British defaecate

ˈdef-i-ˌkāt 

defecated; defecating

transitive verb

: to discharge from the anus

intransitive verb

: to discharge feces from the bowels