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

Stress reaches the gut directly and can send it either way — diarrhea or constipation — or cause incomplete bowel movements. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026

The acids in coffee boost your gut’s production of gastrin, a hormone that prompts the muscles in your colon to contract and kickstart bowel movements. —Allison Forsyth, Health, 12 June 2026

Regularly passing bowel movements keeps your digestive tract healthy. —Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 10 June 2026

The result is harder stools, less frequent bowel movements and the bloated, sluggish feeling many patients describe in the early weeks of treatment. —Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2026

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