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

However, zinc supplements may be necessary with restrictive diets or specific medical conditions like those impacting your digestive tract. —Melissa Nieves, Verywell Health, 26 Sep. 2024

Normally, the stomach contracts to propel food through the digestive tract. —Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 26 Sep. 2024

She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2012 and IBS—which can cause similar symptoms to IBD such as abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation but without visible signs of damage or disease to your digestive tract—in 2013. —Sarah Klein, TIME, 20 Sep. 2024

Probiotics are live microorganisms—mainly bacteria and yeast—that affect bacteria and other microorganisms living in your digestive tract, exerting certain health benefits.1 The human gut is home to many microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. —Johna Burdeos, Health, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

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