diarrhea

noun di·ar·rhea \ ˌdī-ə-ˈrē-ə \

Definition of diarrhea

1 :abnormally frequent intestinal evacuations with more or less fluid stools (see ¹stool 3b)

symptoms include fever, nausea, and diarrhea

2 :excessive flow

verbal diarrhea

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diarrheal

play \-ˈrē-əl\ adjective

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diarrheic

play \-ˈrē-ik\ adjective

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diarrhetic

play \-ˈre-tik\ adjective

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Examples of diarrhea in a Sentence

The symptoms of the disease include fever, nausea, and diarrhea.
I was taken with severe diarrhea while attending the conference.

Recent Examples of diarrhea from the Web

Despite the money already spent and various vaccination campaigns over the years, Haiti continues to see a high number of children and infants die from major killers like diarrhea and pneumonia.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "The fight against fatal childhood diseases in Haiti gets a boost," 11 Aug. 2017
These blooms can produce a toxin called microcystin, which causes a number of health effects in humans, ranging from rashes and diarrhea to liver damage.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Scientists Are Protecting Drinking Water With an Underwater Testing Lab," 11 Aug. 2017
These bizarre lies are not merely a symptom of Trump’s idiosyncratic verbal diarrhea.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Donald Trump Has Finally Erased the Line Between Conservatism and Conspiracy Theories," 1 Aug. 2017
Symptoms in humans can include a fever, headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash, and may last from a few days to a few weeks, however, four out of five people infected will not show any symptoms, officials reported.

— susan demar lafferty, Daily Southtown, "Crete man is state's first West Nile victim," 21 July 2017
As a result, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and fever.

— sarah begley, Time, "Norovirus Is the Worst. Here's What to Know About It," 19 July 2017
While the montages at the diarrhea factory probably spoiled everyone's takeout dinner, Sam actually ended up being kind of useful!

— matt miller, Esquire, "Game of Thrones Wasted No Time Last Night," 17 July 2017
Some people complain of fatigue, headaches and muscle aches, diarrhea, loss of appetite and upset stomach, according to the CDC.

— darla carter, The Courier-Journal, "Heartland virus - thought to be spread by ticks - spotted in Southern Indiana," 11 July 2017
Rosenbaum took a train from Richmond, Virginia, to Baltimore for infusions every two weeks and then, after some fatigue and diarrhea side effects, once a month.

— Washington Post, "Tumor gene testing urged to tell if drug targets your cancer," 6 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of diarrhea

Middle English diaria, from Late Latin diarrhoea, from Greek diarrhoia, from diarrhein to flow through, from dia- + rhein to flow — more at stream

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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