bowels

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralmedical

   The long tube in the body where food is digested after the stomach, and from which waste leaves.

   Grammar: Plural: his bowels were upset.

   Patterns

   • empty your bowels
   • move your bowels

   The doctor asked whether her bowels were working normally.

   Fiber helps keep your bowels regular.

   He felt pain in his bowels after the meal.

2. 2nounpluralliterary

   The deepest or innermost part of a place or structure.

   Grammar: Used with 'of': the bowels of the ship.

   Patterns

   • the bowels of something

   They descended into the bowels of the ship to find the engine room.

   The archives lie in the bowels of the library.

   Deep in the bowels of the building, the old furnace roared.

Word forms

Common combinations

empty the bowels

The medicine will help empty the bowels.

irritable bowels

She suffers from irritable bowels.

in the bowels of

The cells were in the bowels of the castle.

bowel movement

A bowel movement should happen regularly.

loosen the bowels

Some foods loosen the bowels.

Synonyms and how they differ

intestines

Intestines is the standard medical term, while bowels is a more everyday and traditional word.

guts

Guts is informal and covers the whole stomach and gut area, and is not limited to the lower tube.

entrails

Entrails is a grim word for the inner organs, especially of a slain animal.

depths

Depths is the plain word for the inner part of a place, used with 'of'.

Word family

bowel noun

the singular form, used in medical compounds

disembowel verb

to remove the bowels or guts

bowel movement noun

the passing of waste

Commonly confused: bowels or vowels? bowels or bowl?

Practice

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