bowel
The long tubes inside your body after the stomach where food passes and solid waste is made before it leaves your body.
The part of the intestine inside the abdomen, especially the lower part, where food is processed and waste is formed and carried out of the body.
The very deep inside part of a place, far from the outside.
The deepest inner part of a place or structure, far away from the surface or entrance.
A very strong feeling of pity or kindness, found mainly in very old texts.
An intense feeling of pity, mercy, or compassion, especially as used in older religious or literary language.
- Base: bowel
- Plural: bowels
bowel cancer
1cancer affecting the bowel
Cancer that starts in the bowel, often in the large intestine.
- Screening can help doctors find bowel cancer early.
- He became an activist for bowel cancer awareness after his treatment.
- Blood in the stool can sometimes be a sign of bowel cancer.
bowel movement
1act of passing stool
An act of pushing solid waste out of the body through the anus.
- The nurse asked when his last bowel movement was.
- After the operation, they monitored her until she had a normal bowel movement.
- Constipation means having fewer bowel movements than usual or finding them hard to pass.
change in bowel habits
1difference in normal bowel pattern
A clear difference from your normal pattern of going to the toilet to pass solid waste.
- Doctors say that a lasting change in bowel habits should be checked.
- One warning sign of bowel cancer is a change in bowel habits.
- He went to his GP because he noticed a change in bowel habits over several weeks.
empty your bowels
1to pass solid waste
To pass solid waste out of your body through the anus.
- The doctor may ask you to empty your bowels before the exam.
- The medicine helps patients empty their bowels more easily.
- He rushed to the toilet to empty his bowels.
in the bowels of [something]
1deep inside a place
Deep in the inside part of a place, far from the outside or entrance.
- The lab was hidden in the bowels of the old hospital.
- Deep in the bowels of the ship, the engines kept roaring.
- The data center sits in the bowels of the mountain, safe from the weather.
irritable bowel syndrome
1chronic disorder of the bowel
A long-term problem with the bowels that can cause pain, gas, and changes in how often you go to the toilet.
- Her stomach cramps were eventually diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome.
- People with irritable bowel syndrome often have to watch what they eat.
- Stress can make irritable bowel syndrome symptoms much worse.
loose bowels
1having watery bowel movements
A condition where your stool is very soft or watery, like diarrhea.
- The medicine can cause loose bowels in some patients.
- He stayed home from work because of loose bowels and stomach pain.
- Spicy food sometimes gives her loose bowels.
move your bowels
1to defecate
To pass solid waste out of your body; to have a bowel movement.
- The laxative should help you move your bowels within a few hours.
- It is important for patients to move their bowels regularly after surgery.
- He felt much better after he finally moved his bowels.
open your bowels
1to have a bowel movement
To pass solid waste out of your body; to have a bowel movement.
- He hadn’t opened his bowels for three days and felt very uncomfortable.
- The nurse asked if she had opened her bowels since the operation.
- Some painkillers can make it harder to open your bowels.
the bowels of the earth
1deep inside the earth
The very deep inside part of the earth, far below the ground.
- Heat from the bowels of the earth drives volcanic activity.
- Miners descended into the bowels of the earth each day.
- The story speaks of monsters rising from the bowels of the earth.