digestive tract

Definition of digestive tract

: 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 After his digestive tract was repaired and the abscess drained and treated with radiation, Durham suffered setbacks of acute pancreatitis that set into peritonitis. — Cheryl Hall, Dallas News, "After facing down death, Steve Durham renews his passion for life, Horatio Alger," 5 Jan. 2020 Your gut is lined with nerves that work to expand and contract to push food through your digestive tract. — Marygrace Taylor, SELF, "6 Surprising Reasons Why You're Feeling Nauseous," 24 Dec. 2019 Our brains may seem physically far removed from our guts, but in recent years, research has strongly suggested that the vast communities of microbes concentrated in our digestive tract open lines of communication between the two. — Quanta Magazine, "How Microbiomes Affect Fear," 4 Dec. 2019 It was later determined that antibiotics he was given after a 2011 thumb injury likely altered his digestive tract and led to his struggle with auto-brewery syndrome. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, "Man's Rare Digestive Condition Caused Him to Get Drunk from Eating Carbs," 23 Oct. 2019 One possibility was that microbes send signals to the brain through the long vagus nerve, which carries sensations from the digestive tract to the brain stem. — Quanta Magazine, "How Microbiomes Affect Fear," 4 Dec. 2019 The primary health impacts of hookworms are anemia, especially in children, as the worms siphon off blood from the digestive tract. — Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, "UAB researchers launch $1.5 million hookworm study in Alabama’s Black Belt," 21 Nov. 2019 Yes, the original banana is now making its way through Datuna’s digestive tract. — BostonGlobe.com, "‘‘He did not destroy the art work. The banana is the idea,’’ Terras told the Miami Herald.," 8 Dec. 2019 Yes, the original banana is now making its way through Datuna’s digestive tract. — Derek Hawkins, Washington Post, "A rogue artist ate the $120,000 duct-taped banana at Art Basel. ‘It’s performance,' he said.," 8 Dec. 2019

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

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Last Updated

11 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Digestive tract.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digestive%20tract. Accessed 20 January 2020.

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More Definitions for digestive tract

digestive tract

noun

Kids Definition of digestive tract

: the tube-shaped passage including the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, and intestines that is concerned with taking in, breaking down, and absorbing food and discharging solid waste

digestive tract

noun

Medical Definition of digestive tract

: 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