stomach bug

noun

variants or less commonly stomach flu

plural stomach bugs also stomach flus

: a nonspecific usually contagious gastrointestinal illness that is marked by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping : gastroenteritis usually caused by a virus (such as a norovirus or rotavirus)

… suffering from a stomach bug and shin splints …

—Sally Jenkins

… middle-of-the-night emergencies: pesky high fevers, dehydration, stomach flus.

—Michael L. Diamond

—not used technically

Examples of stomach bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The former Mets outfielder recovered from a 24-hour stomach bug just in time to welcome his former team to Texas for a three-game set. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026

Electrolyte beverages can help replenish hydration after an intense workout or stomach bug. — Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 25 Aug. 2026

His symptoms had transformed from a stomach bug to a bad stomach bug to something that looked a lot like meningitis. — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Unlike many common stomach bugs that resolve on their own, severe or persistent Cyclospora infections typically require a prescription antibiotic, most often trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, to fully eliminate the parasite. — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stomach bug

• antidrug
• mealybug
• multidrug
• chug
• doug
• drug
• dug
• hug
• jug
• lug
• mug
• plug

Medical Definition

stomach bug

noun

variants also stomach flu

: a nonspecific usually contagious gastrointestinal illness that is marked by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and cramping : gastroenteritis usually caused by a virus (such as a norovirus or rotavirus)

—not used technically