diarrhea
gb/dˌaɪɚˈiə/ us/dˌaɪɚˈiə/
B1
English
~ 8700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
state
1
Frequent loose, watery bowel movements
A health problem when you go to the toilet many times and your poop is very loose and watery.
Usage pattern:
[someone] has diarrhea
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes treat "diarrhea" as countable and say *"a diarrhea"* or *"many diarrheas"*; in normal use it is uncountable, so say "have diarrhea" or "some diarrhea". Spelling also causes problems: American English uses "diarrhea" and British English usually uses "diarrhoea".
Synonyms
loose stools (More clinical and descriptive; often used by healthcare professionals.)
|
the runs (Informal, slang-like expression; less suitable for formal or medical contexts.)
Antonyms
constipation (Opposite bowel problem where stools are hard and difficult or infrequent to pass.)
Collocations
have diarrhea
|suffer from diarrhea
|severe diarrhea
|chronic diarrhea
|watery diarrhea
|cause diarrhea
Themes
health
|medicine
|body
Examples
- He got diarrhea after eating street food on vacation.
- The doctor asked how long she had been experiencing diarrhea and stomach pain.
- This medicine can cause diarrhea as a side effect.
- Children can become dehydrated quickly when they have severe diarrhea.
- She stayed home from work because her diarrhea was so bad.
Learner examples
- I have diarrhea, so I cannot go to school today.
- Drinking dirty water can give you diarrhea.
- The baby has diarrhea and needs to see a doctor.
- This pill helps stop diarrhea.
- If you have diarrhea, you should drink a lot of water.
Grammar
Dictionary form
diarrhea
IPA
GB/dˌaɪɚˈiə/
US/dˌaɪɚˈiə/
Syllables & stress
diarrhea (1 syllable)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: diarrhea
- Plural: diarrhea, diarrheas
Word family
Forms
diarrheas
noun
Core family
diarrheal
adjective
Advanced or less common
antidiarrheal
adjective
Expressions
have diarrhea
1/hˈæv dˌaɪɚˈiə/
fixed phrase
Experience diarrhea
To be in a state where your poop is very loose and you go to the toilet many times.
Examples
- If you have diarrhea for more than two days, you should see a doctor.
- She often has diarrhea when she is very stressed.
- People who drink untreated water may have diarrhea during their trip.
suffer from diarrhea
1/sˈʌfɚ fɹˈʌm dˌaɪɚˈiə/
fixed phrase
Have diarrhea as an illness
To have diarrhea as a health problem, usually for some time or in a serious way.
Examples
- Many children in the village suffer from diarrhea due to unsafe drinking water.
- He has suffered from diarrhea since starting the new medicine.
traveler's diarrhea
1/tɹˈævəlɚz dˌaɪɚˈiə/
fixed phrase
technical
Diarrhea during or after travel
Diarrhea that people get when they travel to another country, often because of new germs in water or food.
Examples
- Raw vegetables and tap water can increase your risk of traveler's diarrhea.
- They packed medicine in case anyone got traveler's diarrhea on the trip.
verbal diarrhea
1/vˈɚbəl dˌaɪɚˈiə/
idiom
informal
Talk too much uncontrollably
When someone talks too much, too fast, and cannot stop, usually in an annoying or silly way.
Examples
- He tends to get verbal diarrhea when he’s nervous and just keeps talking.
- The meeting was painful because her verbal diarrhea left no space for anyone else to speak.