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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Healthcare workers repeatedly inflate and deflate two balloons to work a scope through the digestive tract. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026 This water would be absorbed through its digestive tract and filtered by its gills. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Peppermint contains compounds that relax the smooth muscles of the digestive tract. — Sarah Jividen, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026 In a 2019 study published in Nutrients, researchers followed 36 healthy adults and found that sourdough breads passed through parts of the digestive tract faster than bread made with only baker’s yeast. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for digestive tract

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of digestive tract was in 1842

Rhymes for digestive tract

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Browse Nearby Words

digestive system
digestive tract
digest medium
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Cite this Entry

“Digestive tract.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digestive%20tract. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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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

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