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

The warmth is also thought to relax the muscles of the digestive tract, thereby improving digestion. —Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 4 Mar. 2026

For example, beetroot juice can improve blood flow which can get the digestive tract moving better. —Lauren Manaker Ms, Health, 4 Mar. 2026

There have been at least 38 reports of and reviews mentioning the bristle detaching from the brushes, Weber said, and four reports of people who swallowed the metal bristles and sough medical treatment to remove them from their throat or digestive tract. —Cbs Chicago Team, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

Stool samples are an effective way to determine which microbes are present in the digestive tract. —K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 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