bowels
[bˈaʊəlz] /ˈbau̇(-ə)l How to pronounce bowel (audio)/ (ame, mw)
bowels — noun
1. the tubes inside the body that take food on from the stomach and carry waste out
the tubes inside the body that take food on from the stomach and carry waste out
The doctor said Omar's bowels were swollen after the infection.
bowels + plural verb: were swollen
Rich food can upset your bowels and cause sharp stomach pain.
common health pattern: upset your bowels
After the crash, surgeons checked whether Mei's bowels had been torn.
The scan showed that part of the bowels was badly blocked.
The medicine helps the bowels move waste through the body.
- intestines
neutral body-part word that sounds slightly more direct and anatomical
- gut
more informal and often broader, sometimes including the stomach area
- digestive tract
broader medical term that includes more than the intestines alone
文法句型
someone's bowels + plural verb
part of the bowels + singular verb
the bowels can be blocked / torn / swollen
用法筆記
Usually refers to the intestines in health or medical talk. The word is plural when the whole system is meant, but a phrase like 'part of the bowels' takes a singular verb because 'part' is the subject.
常見錯誤
2. going to the toilet to pass solid waste, especially in medical or nursing talk
going to the toilet to pass solid waste, especially in medical or nursing talk
The nurse asked whether Mr. Lee's bowels had opened since dawn.
clinical question: bowels had opened
After the operation, Priya's bowels had still not moved by evening.
post-operation chart language
The chart noted that the patient's bowels opened twice that day.
The laxative worked gently, and the baby's bowels moved next morning.
Doctors waited for Marta's bowels to open before sending her home.
- bowel movement
neutral patient-facing phrase for one act of passing stool
- defecation
more technical and common in formal medical writing
文法句型
someone's bowels open
someone's bowels move
wait for the bowels to open
用法筆記
This sense is mainly heard in hospitals, clinics, and care homes. Speakers usually ask whether the bowels have 'opened' or 'moved' rather than using the noun by itself.
常見錯誤
3. a person's deep feelings of mercy, tenderness, or bravery, used in old or litera
a person's deep feelings of mercy, tenderness, or bravery, used in old or literary writing
The old poem says no bowels stirred in the cruel king.
literary phrase: no bowels stirred
Mercy filled her bowels when she saw the starving child.
bowels = deep feelings of pity
The preacher begged the crowd to show bowels toward the refugees.
Jonah's bowels rose against the order to burn the village.
In the novel, Clara's bowels softened after the orphan thanked her.
- compassion
modern everyday word for pity and kindness toward suffering
- mercy
focuses more on kindness shown to someone in pain or need
- courage
covers bravery directly, without the old figurative image
- cruelty
the absence of pity or tenderness toward others
文法句型
someone's bowels stir
show bowels toward someone
bowels soften
用法筆記
This is an old figurative sense, especially in religious or literary texts. Modern English usually names the feeling directly with words such as 'compassion', 'mercy', or 'courage' instead.
4. the hidden inner areas far inside a place, building, machine, or the earth
the hidden inner areas far inside a place, building, machine, or the earth
Miners spent winter working in the bowels of the earth.
set phrase: the bowels of the earth
An engineer disappeared into the bowels of the ship with a torch.
set phrase: the bowels of the ship
The files were found in the bowels of the old courthouse.
Steam pipes rattled deep in the bowels of the hotel.
Workers crawled through the bowels of the tunnel to fix the cable.
文法句型
the bowels of the earth
the bowels of a ship
deep in the bowels of something
用法筆記
Nearly always appears in the phrase 'the bowels of ...'. It suggests a place that is hidden, enclosed, and far from the surface, often with a dark or mechanical feeling.