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

In your digestive tract, calcium and magnesium use some of the same pathways to get absorbed. —Julie Scott, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2025

Your gut microbiome is made up of microorganisms (microbes), like bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that live in your digestive tract. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 1 Oct. 2025

Crohn's is a form of IBD that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, according to the Cleveland Clinic. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025

Foreign material in food products presents health risks, including choking, damage to teeth and digestive tract injury. —Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

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