bile

noun

\ ˈbī(-ə)l

Definition of bile

1a : either of two humors associated in old physiology with irascibility and melancholy

b : a yellow or greenish viscid alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and passed into the duodenum where it aids especially in the emulsification and absorption of fats

2a : inclination to anger

b : acrimony, vitriol

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about bile

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of bile in a Sentence

One writer objected to what she described as “the bile that is spewed from the newspaper's editorial page.” with considerable bile, the author recounts a childhood filled with misery and loneliness

Recent Examples on the Web

That last bit involves strangling on the spit and bile in my mouth. — Gene Weingarten, Washington Post, "Gene Weingarten: How to deal with profound impatience? Try the Glass Bowl method.," 20 June 2019 Farming China began farming bears to extract their bile in the 1980s. — National Geographic, "Bear bile, explained," 12 June 2019 During the process, the bears are usually kept in tiny cages and live with a permanent catheter, to drain the bile, that can rust or otherwise degrade. — Jani Actman, National Geographic, "How can traditional Chinese medicine threaten wildlife?," 17 June 2019 One is that estrogen tends to increase the production of HDL cholesterol, which is a component of bile, Dr. Aquino says. — Korin Miller, SELF, "6 Gastrointestinal Issues That Can Affect You During Pregnancy," 14 Dec. 2018 Your gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that's released into your small intestine to help with the crucial task of breaking down your food. — Korin Miller, SELF, "6 Gastrointestinal Issues That Can Affect You During Pregnancy," 14 Dec. 2018 Cholestasis is a condition that occurs when there’s an issue with the flow of bile (a digestive fluid) in the body, and it can be tied to certain liver or pancreatic diseases or occur when there’s a problem with the bile duct. — Ratika Gupta, SELF, "An Allergist Explains Why You Might Be Itchy All Over, Even Though You Don’t Have a Rash," 13 Sep. 2018 And there’s no White House chaos at all; in fact, despite legal scandals and special counsel investigations and bile-laden tweets, everything, absolutely everything, is going just as Donald Trump intended it. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "#QAnon, the scarily popular pro-Trump conspiracy theory, explained," 1 Aug. 2018 Not a great movie, but an important one, now more than ever when, sadly, some of the bile directed at Robinson isn't as hard to picture. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "The 10 best baseball movies ever (No, not 'Field of Dreams')," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about bile

Dictionary Entries near bile

Statistics for bile

Last Updated

12 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for bile

The first known use of bile was in 1547

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for bile

bile

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bile

: a yellow or greenish liquid that is made by the liver and that helps the body to digest fats

: anger or hatred

See the full definition for bile in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bile

noun

\ ˈbīl

Kids Definition of bile

: a thick bitter yellow or greenish fluid produced by the liver to aid in digestion of fats in the small intestine

bile

noun

\ ˈbī(ə)l

Medical Definition of bile

1 : a yellow or greenish viscid alkaline fluid secreted by the liver and passed into the duodenum where it aids especially in the emulsification and absorption of fats

— called also fel

2 : either of two humors associated in old physiology with irascibility and melancholy