diarrhea

noun

di·​ar·​rhea ˌdī-ə-ˈrē-ə 

1

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

Symptoms of the disease include fever, nausea, and diarrhea.

2

: excessive flow

verbal diarrhea

diarrheal

ˌdī-ə-ˈrē-əl 

adjective

diarrheic

ˌdī-ə-ˈrē-ik 

adjective

diarrhetic

ˌdī-ə-ˈre-tik 

adjective

Synonyms of diarrhea

• trots
• runs

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 on the Web

One in 10 children with measles get ear infections and one in 10 children with measles get diarrhea. — ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026

Your Bathroom Habits Change In the short term, caffeine consumption leads to more frequent bathroom visits and diarrhea. — Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 12 Nov. 2026

Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea. — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026

Cyclospora is a stomach bug caused by a parasite that leads to severe diarrhea. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing diarrhea

• traveler's diarrhea

Rhymes for diarrhea

• chia
• mia
• pia
• rhea
• shia
• stria
• thea
• zia
• aliya
• aliyah
• althea
• apnoea

Kids Definition

diarrhea

noun

di·​ar·​rhea ˌdī-ə-ˈrē-ə 

: abnormally frequent and watery bowel movements

Medical Definition

diarrhea

noun

di·​ar·​rhea

variants or chiefly British diarrhoea

ˌdī-ə-ˈrē-ə 

: abnormally frequent intestinal evacuations with more or less fluid stools