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

For the first time, the team observed glucose excretion in the small intestine, followed by its transport to the large intestine and rectum. —Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025

Potassium reduces water retention by promoting the excretion of excess sodium and fluids in our body. —Maxwell Millington, Axios, 7 Mar. 2025

Sodium citrate supplements should be avoided because sodium can increase calcium excretion and negate the benefit.3 Potassium citrate supplements should be taken under the guidance of a healthcare provider and not as a substitute for medical treatment. —Kumkum S. Patel, Verywell Health, 31 Jan. 2025

Those at risk for low magnesium include: Older adults: Older adults tend to absorb less magnesium from the gut while losing more through renal excretion. —Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Rdn, Health, 23 Dec. 2024

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