excrete

/ɪkˈskriːt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪkˈskriːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ik-ˈskrēt/ (ame, mw)

excrete — verb

  • excretepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • excreteshe / she / it
  • excretedpast simple
  • excreting-ing form

1. if a living body excretes a substance, it pushes that substance out — usually wa

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

if a living body excretes a substance, it pushes that substance out — usually waste like urine, sweat, or salt — through skin, kidneys, or other organs.

例句

The human kidneys excrete around 1.5 litres of urine each day.

subject is an organ; technical biology context

When Dahlia runs in hot weather, her skin excretes sweat to cool the body.

named subject + biological process

同義詞
  • discharge

    broader; covers both biological and mechanical release

  • eliminate

    common medical synonym; often used for waste products in clinical writing

  • expel

    stronger force implied; can be voluntary or involuntary

  • secrete

    DO NOT confuse — secrete = release a useful substance (hormone, enzyme); excrete = remove waste

反義詞
  • absorb

    take a substance into the body, the opposite direction

  • ingest

    take in by eating or drinking

  • retain

    keep inside the body rather than push out

文法句型

excrete + [waste/substance]

用法筆記

Subject is usually a living body, organ, or organism — not a person as a deliberate actor. People typically don't say 'I excreted'; they say 'the body excreted' or use the passive ('is excreted').

常見錯誤

❌I excreted my coffee this morning.
✅The caffeine from my coffee was excreted in my urine.
💡'excrete' takes the substance leaving the body as object, not the person doing it.
❌The factory excretes waste into the river.
✅The factory discharges waste into the river.
💡'excrete' is biological; for machines or industry use 'discharge' or 'release'.