excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

2

: something excreted

especially : metabolic waste products (such as urea and carbon dioxide) that are eliminated from the body

Examples of excretion in a Sentence

The kidneys are organs of excretion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fiber reduces cholesterol absorption in your digestive tract and increases its excretion through your stool. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 17 Oct. 2025

Luckily our liver is ready for this and in two phases makes a toxic substance less harmful and then converts it to a water soluble form for excretion. —Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025

Drinking more water, increasing physical activity, eating potassium-rich foods, and cutting back on salt may improve excretion and potentially improve blood pressure. —Md Published, Verywell Health, 26 Sep. 2025

In fish, the cloaca is a single orifice that handles excretion (both urine and fecal material) as well as reproduction. —John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for excretion

• accretion
• completion
• concretion
• deletion
• depletion
• repletion
• secretion
• carburetion
• grecian
• hypersecretion

Kids Definition

excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

the skin and lungs function in excretion

2

: cellular waste (as carbon dioxide and urea) excreted from the body

Medical Definition

excretion

noun

ex·​cre·​tion ik-ˈskrē-shən 

1

: the act or process of excreting

2

a

: something eliminated by the process of excretion that is composed chiefly of urine or sweat in mammals including humans and of comparable materials in other animals, characteristically includes products of protein degradation (as urea or uric acid), usually differs from ordinary bodily secretions by lacking any further utility to the organism that produces it, and is distinguished from waste materials (as feces) that have merely passed into or through the digestive tract without being incorporated into the body proper

b

: a waste product (as urine, feces, or vomit) eliminated from an animal body : excrement

—not used technically