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

Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals Eating larger meals packed with fiber can be more difficult for the digestive tract to break down, and increases the likelihood of gas and bloating. —Pamela Assid Woughter, Verywell Health, 25 Feb. 2026

These foods contain plant sterols—natural compounds that resemble cholesterol and help block its absorption in the digestive tract. —Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 23 Feb. 2026

Soluble fiber can also boost your gut microbiome—the vast population of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in your digestive tract and mediate multiple aspects of your health—in a big way. —Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 23 Feb. 2026

Ingesting foreign materials such as metal fragments can pose a risk of injury, including cuts to the mouth or damage to the digestive tract, according to officials. —Dallas Morning News, 23 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