bowel movement

noun

plural bowel movements

: an act of passing usually solid waste through the rectum and anus

He had a two-day history of right lower abdominal pain … without bowel movements.

—William W. Scott, Jr. et al.

also : fecal matter expelled at one passage : stool sense 3a

Cats get infected from contact with other cats' bowel movements or by predation.

—Donald Caslow

Examples of bowel movement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Coffee can speed up bowel movements and cause more frequent trips to the bathroom. —Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 7 Nov. 2025

Fiber helps keep bowel movements regular and fuels the growth of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 6 Nov. 2025

In addition to removing the guesswork from the equation when an expert asks you about your bathroom habits (who can remember the specifics, after all?), bowel movement trackers ease the embarrassment and self-consciousness that tend to accompany those discussions, Dada says. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 4 Nov. 2025

The cat stopped eating from her automatic feeder, hid in corners instead of lounging in her usual spots, and went several days without a bowel movement. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bowel movement

• improvement

Kids Definition

bowel movement

noun

: an act of passing usually solid waste through the rectum and anus

also : fecal matter expelled at one passage : stool

Medical Definition

bowel movement

noun

: an act of passing usually solid waste through the rectum and anus