defecate

verb

def·​e·​cate ˈde-fi-ˌkāt 

defecated; defecating

intransitive verb

: to discharge feces from the bowels

transitive verb

1

: to discharge from the anus

2

: to free from impurity or corruption

Examples of defecate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So how did George end up defecating in your cat’s litter box? —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 11 May 2025

Iron gates were installed at the building’s entrance at a cost of nearly $6,000 to prevent people from sleeping or defecating at the front door. —Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2025

When a person in jail expresses a desire to self-harm, they are stripped naked, put in a safety cell and forced to defecate and urinate into a metal grate. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2025

The livestock, according to the report, destroy the habitats by defecating and urinating in the streams, trampling on the banks and ravaging vegetation. —Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin defaecatus, past participle of defaecare, from de- + faec-, faex dregs, lees

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for defecate

• hecate

Kids Definition

defecate

verb

def·​e·​cate ˈdef-i-ˌkāt 

defecated; defecating

: to expel feces from the bowels

defecation

ˌdef-i-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

defecate

verb

def·​e·​cate

variants or chiefly British defaecate

ˈdef-i-ˌkāt 

defecated; defecating

transitive verb

: to discharge from the anus

intransitive verb

: to discharge feces from the bowels