digestive tract

noun

: the tubular passage typically extending from the mouth to the anus or cloaca that functions in digestion and absorption of food and elimination of residual waste and that in most mammals includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestine, and anus

called also alimentary canal, alimentary tract

Examples of digestive tract in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Canned Beans Beans are heart-healthy legumes rich in soluble fiber, which binds to cholesterol in the digestive tract and helps to flush it out of the body. —Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 28 Jan. 2026

While other researchers have previously developed RFID capsules, the human digestive tract couldn’t disintegrate them, so all their components needed to travel the length of the body and exit in feces, or accumulate inside the body. —New Atlas, 28 Jan. 2026

Oats and other whole grains Oats are a great source of soluble fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar levels and lowers cholesterol by preventing it from being absorbed in the digestive tract. —Beth Krietsch, SELF, 22 Jan. 2026

Best over-the-counter medication for baby gas relief Infants’ Mylicon Gas Relief is one of the few infant gas remedies approved by the FDA and contains simethicone to break down the air in a baby’s digestive tract. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for digestive tract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Medical Definition

digestive tract

noun

: the tubular passage typically extending from mouth to anus or cloaca that functions in digestion and absorption of food and elimination of residual waste and that in most mammals includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestine, and anus

called also alimentary canal, alimentary tract