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

For many people, constipation means having less than three bowel movements a week.2 There are several possible causes of constipation. —Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 28 Nov. 2024

This form of magnesium helps improve the regularity of bowel movements, soften the consistency of stools, and alleviate stomach discomfort.6 Magnesium hydroxide: Often referred to as Milk of Magnesia, this is the liquid form of magnesium oxide. —Devineé Lingo, M.s., Health, 20 Nov. 2024

Instead, walk around a bit — since the motion can stimulate gut muscles to produce a bowel movement. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Kellogg’s thinking on constipation, that anything less than three bowel movements a day risked dangerous intestinal putrefaction, was shaped by the emerging germ theory of disease and the ascent of bacteriology as a discipline through the closing decades of the 19th century. —Elsa Richardson, TIME, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

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