indigestion

IPA/ˌɪndɪˈdʒestʃən/
KK[ˌɪndaɪdʒˈɛstʃən]IPA/ˌɪndɪˈdʒestʃən/

indigestion — noun

1. a burning feeling or ache in your upper stomach after eating, usually because yo

1.nounB2
Definition

a burning feeling or ache in your upper stomach after eating, usually because your body is struggling to break the food down properly.

Example

Aarav gets indigestion whenever he eats spicy curry late at night.

collocation: get indigestion from [food]

Eating a huge plate of fried chicken right before bed gave Eleni terrible indigestion.

pattern: [food/action] gives [person] indigestion

Common collocations
  • get indigestion
  • suffer from indigestion
  • cause indigestion
  • give someone indigestion
  • ease / relieve indigestion
  • chronic indigestion
  • severe indigestion
Synonyms
  • heartburn

    narrower — specifically the burning sensation rising from the stomach into the chest.

  • dyspepsia

    formal / medical register; same meaning but rare in everyday speech.

  • upset stomach

    broader and more informal — covers nausea and digestive trouble generally, not only post-meal discomfort.

Grammar Patterns

suffer from indigestion

give someone indigestion

Usage Note

Uncountable — say 'indigestion' or 'some indigestion', not 'an indigestion' or 'indigestions'. Often paired with verbs like 'get', 'suffer from', 'cause', 'give', 'ease', and 'relieve'.

Common Mistakes

I had an indigestion last night.
I had indigestion last night.
indigestion is uncountable, no 'a/an' and no plural.
The pizza did me indigestion.
The pizza gave me indigestion.
the fixed verb is 'give', not 'do'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four describe trouble after eating, but each picks out something different. 'Indigestion' is the everyday term for general discomfort, fullness, or burning in the upper stomach when food won't break down smoothly — it's the word most people reach for after a heavy meal. 'Heartburn' is narrower: it names the specific burning that rises from the stomach into the chest, often a single symptom within a wider bout of indigestion. 'Dyspepsia' means the same thing as indigestion but lives in medical and pharmacy contexts; a doctor might write it on a chart while the patient says 'indigestion'. 'Upset stomach' is the broadest and most informal — it can cover nausea, diarrhea, or any unsettled feeling, not just post-meal discomfort. So: 'Spicy food gives me indigestion' (everyday), 'I get heartburn after wine' (specific burning), 'chronic dyspepsia' (clinical), 'I had an upset stomach all morning' (general unwell).

indigestion ↗heartburn ↗dyspepsia ↗upset stomach

Common collocations

Nouns

  • indigestion tablet
  • indigestion remedy
  • indigestion pain

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a bout of indigestion
  • an attack of indigestion
  • give someone indigestion

Prepositions

  • suffer from indigestion
  • indigestion after [a meal]

Etymology

LatinLate LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Latin 'in-' (not) + 'digestio' (a separating, dissolving, digesting), through Late Latin 'indigestio' meaning a lack of proper digestion. English borrowed it in the late 1300s by way of Old French, with the medical sense of a stomach struggling to break food down stable from the start.