stool

1 of 2

noun

ˈstül 

1

a

: a seat usually without back or arms supported by three or four legs or by a central pedestal

b

: a low bench or portable support for the feet or knees : footstool

2

: a seat used as a symbol of office or authority

also : the rank, dignity, office, or rule of a chieftain

3

a

: a discharge of fecal matter

b

: a seat used while defecating or urinating

4

a

: a stump or group of stumps of a tree especially when producing suckers

b

: a plant crown from which shoots grow out

c

: a shoot or growth from a stool

5

: stool pigeon sense 1

stool

2 of 2

verb

stooled; stooling; stools

intransitive verb

: to throw out shoots in the manner of a stool

Examples of stool in a Sentence

Noun

She sat on a stool.

The patient had bloody stools.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

His front yard became cluttered with a living room’s worth of patio furniture, bar stools, storage containers, a cord of firewood and a fire pit. —Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026

That law, which deals with balance-of-payments issues, along with Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act (currently being leveraged to levy duties on steel and aluminum) and Section 301 now make up the three legs of the trade policy stool. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 25 Mar. 2026

Verb

Pendant lighting by Devol hangs over the island, where Frama stools tuck in neatly. —Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 19 Mar. 2026

Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, while soluble fiber helps absorb substances like excess cholesterol and bile acids. —Lauren Manaker, SELF, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English stōl; akin to Old High German stuol chair, Old Church Slavic stolŭ seat, throne

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1770, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing stool

• cucking stool
• cutty stool
• ducking stool
• step stool
• stool pigeon

Rhymes for stool

• boule
• brule
• buhl
• cool
• drool
• fool
• ghoul
• mule
• pool
• poul
• rule
• school

Kids Definition

stool

noun

ˈstül

1

a

: a seat without back or arms supported by three or four legs or by a central post

b

: footstool

2

a

: a seat used while urinating or having a bowel movement

b

: a mass of bodily waste discharged from the intestine in a bowel movement

Medical Definition

stool

noun

ˈstül 

: a discharge of fecal matter