digestive tract

noun

: the tubular passage typically extending from the mouth to the anus or cloaca that functions in digestion and absorption of food and elimination of residual waste and that in most mammals includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestine, and anus

called also alimentary canal, alimentary tract

Examples of digestive tract in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a 2019 study published in Nutrients, researchers followed 36 healthy adults and found that sourdough breads passed through parts of the digestive tract faster than bread made with only baker’s yeast. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

And a 2019 study in Nutrients of 36 healthy adults found sourdough breads moved through parts of the digestive tract faster than bread made with baker’s yeast alone. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Manganiello detailed debilitating abdominal pain, fevers, rashes, headaches, fatigue and ulcers in his digestive tract that caused bleeding and led to countless colonoscopies. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Walking helps stimulate gastric motility, which refers to the muscle contractions that push food through your digestive tract. — Heidi Cope, HEALTH, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for digestive tract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

Medical Definition

digestive tract

noun

: the tubular passage typically extending from mouth to anus or cloaca that functions in digestion and absorption of food and elimination of residual waste and that in most mammals includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, intestine, and anus

called also alimentary canal, alimentary tract