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

As gut health becomes a growing focus in the wellness world, experts point to the microbiome — the trillions of bacteria living in the digestive tract — as a key player in everything from digestion to immunity. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Like so many in her field, The Ohio State University oncologist Ning Jin is alarmed by the number of patients in their 30s and 40s with late-stage cancer in their lower digestive tract. —Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026

Crohn’s disease, the more prevalent of the two, can affect any part of the digestive tract—most frequently the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine—causing symptoms such as cramping, diarrhea, weight loss, and reduced appetite. —Holly Carter, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Colon cancer and rectal cancer are similar but form in different parts of the digestive tract. —Erika Edwards, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for digestive tract

• abstract
• attacked
• attract
• contact
• contract
• detract
• distract
• enact
• exact
• extract
• hijacked
• impact

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