stomach bug

noun

variants or less commonly stomach flu

plural stomach bugs also stomach flus

: a nonspecific usually contagious gastrointestinal illness that is marked by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping : gastroenteritis usually caused by a virus (such as a norovirus or rotavirus)

… suffering from a stomach bug and shin splints …

—Sally Jenkins

… middle-of-the-night emergencies: pesky high fevers, dehydration, stomach flus.

—Michael L. Diamond

—not used technically

Examples of stomach bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Investigators are continuing to examine what exactly caused the outbreak, which can lead to symptoms similar to a bad stomach bug for days or even weeks. — Brandon Gomez,laya Neelakandan,angelica Peebles, CNBC, 20 July 2026

Health officials have reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak aboard an Alaska cruise ship, marking the vessel's third stomach bug outbreak in about two months. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

People can get the stomach bug by eating and drinking food and water contaminated with poop. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026

The symptoms of cyclospora resemble other, more common stomach bugs, and many people will try to wait it out at home rather than seeking care. — Elise Haulund, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stomach bug

• antidrug
• mealybug
• multidrug
• chug
• doug
• drug
• dug
• hug
• jug
• lug
• mug
• plug