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excrete

verb
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ex·​crete | \ ik-ˈskrēt How to pronounce excrete (audio) \
excreted; excreting

Definition of excrete

transitive verb

: to separate and eliminate or discharge (waste) from the blood, tissues, or organs or from the active protoplasm
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Other Words from excrete

excreter noun

Examples of excrete in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The best thing to do now, the priest told her, was to wait and hope that, in due time, her husband would excrete the love potion in his system. — Imbolo Mbue, The New Yorker, "The Case for and Against Love Potions," 15 Mar. 2021 Plus these birds all drink saltwater and excrete the salt through the tubes. — Tom Mcnamara, Popular Science, "Here’s the real story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’," 3 Dec. 2020 Later, an upset stomach forces her to excrete noisily into a bucket. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "Economic Ruthlessness on the Open Road in “Nomadland”," 27 Nov. 2020 Some can also excrete chemicals to liberate the nutrient from the soil. — Julia Rosen, National Geographic, "Farmers are facing a phosphorus crisis. The solution starts with soil.," 14 Oct. 2020 Most people with adequate levels of zinc in their blood will excrete excess amounts or simply not absorb it in their guts. — Allysia Finley, WSJ, "Trump Takes Zinc. Maybe You Should Too," 5 Oct. 2020 The digest the organic matter, bacteria and fungi in the soil and excrete the rest. — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, "Dan Gill's mailbag: It takes a little work to keep composting pile in balance; don't eat palm fruit," 16 Sep. 2020 Both strategies allow the body to excrete the methanol before it’s turned into formic acid. — Carrie Arnold, National Geographic, "Tainted sanitizers and bootleg booze are poisoning people," 19 Aug. 2020 Infected individuals excrete the pathogen, which gets flushed down the toilet or washed down the drain. — Kyle Bibby, The Conversation, "COVID-19 clues in a community’s sewage: 4 questions answered about watching wastewater for coronavirus," 31 Aug. 2020

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

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First Known Use of excrete

1620, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for excrete

Latin excretus, past participle of excernere to sift out, discharge, from ex- + cernere to sift — more at certain

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Time Traveler for excrete

Time Traveler

The first known use of excrete was in 1620

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Statistics for excrete

Last Updated

21 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Excrete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excrete. Accessed 17 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for excrete

excrete

verb
How to pronounce excrete (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of excrete

formal : to pass (waste matter) from the body or from an organ in the body

See the full definition for excrete in the English Language Learners Dictionary

excrete

verb
ex·​crete | \ ik-ˈskrēt How to pronounce excrete (audio) \
excreted; excreting

Kids Definition of excrete

: to separate and give off cellular waste matter from the body usually as urine or sweat

excrete

transitive verb
ex·​crete | \ ik-ˈskrēt How to pronounce excrete (audio) \
excreted; excreting

Medical Definition of excrete

: to separate and eliminate or discharge (waste) from the blood, tissues, or organs or from the active protoplasm

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More from Merriam-Webster on excrete

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for excrete

Nglish: Translation of excrete for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of excrete for Arabic Speakers

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