Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

Kegel exercises

play
plural noun Ke·gel exercises \ ˈkā-gəl- , ˈkē- \

Definition of Kegel exercises

:repetitive contractions of the pelvic muscles that control the flow in urination in order to strengthen these muscles especially to control or prevent incontinence or to enhance sexual responsiveness during intercourse — called also Kegels

Explore Merriam-Webster

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye
alt-59bab5dbb4997
Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Origin and Etymology of kegel exercises

Arnold H. Kegel †1976 American gynecologist

Medical Dictionary

Kegel exercises

play
noun plural Ke·gel exercises \ ˈkā-gəl- , ˈkē- \

medical Definition of Kegel exercises

:repetitive contractions of the muscles that control the flow in urination in order to increase the tone of the pubococcygeus muscle of the pelvic floor especially to prevent or control incontinence or to enhance sexual responsiveness during intercourse
  • Kegel exercises, which work the pelvic muscles and are often assigned after the delivery of a child, can be effective for stress incontinence.
  • —Tracy L. Pipp,  USA Today,  27 Jan. 1997
  • … encourage him to continue doing Kegel exercises. Studies confirm that incontinence after prostate surgery may continue to improve for more than two years postsurgery.
  • —Diane A. Smith,  quoted in The Saturday Evening Post,  1 July 2009

Biographical Note for kegel exercises

  • Kegel, Arnold Henry (1894–1976), American gynecologist.

    • Seen and Heard

    What made you want to look up Kegel exercises? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

    show hide

    Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

    WORD OF THE DAY

    glabrous

    play

    smooth or hairless

    Get Word of the Day daily email!

    TRENDING NOW

    1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

    2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

    3. allegory No spoilers!

    4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

    5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

    SEE ALL

    BROWSE DICTIONARY

    keg
    Kegel exercises

    Test Your Vocabulary

    Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

    • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
    • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
    True or False

    Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

    TAKE THE QUIZ
    SCRABBLE® Sprint

    Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

    TAKE THE QUIZ

    Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

    Words at Play

    alt-59c17b8172892
    'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

    Its origins are surprisingly murky.

    alt-59c13729150dc
    "Immune to" or "Immune from"?

    Nobody is immune to this question.

    alt-59bff395cf879
    What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

    Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

    alt-59bad350d88f1
    Welcome to the New Words

    From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

    Ask the Editors

    video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
    Words of the Year: 1066

    Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

    payday
    How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

    Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

    video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
    Irregardless

    It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

    video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
    Weird Plurals

    One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

    Word Games

    stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
    Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

    No tricks, just difficult words.

    Take the quiz
    name-that-color-logo
    Name that Color!

    NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

    Take the quiz
    True or False
    True or False?

    Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

    Take the quiz
    SCRABBLE® Sprint
    SCRABBLE® Sprint

    SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

    Play the game