stool

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a seat usually without back or arms supported by three or four legs or by a central pedestal
b
: a low bench or portable support for the feet or knees : footstool
2
: a seat used as a symbol of office or authority
also : the rank, dignity, office, or rule of a chieftain
3
a
: a discharge of fecal matter
b
: a seat used while defecating or urinating
4
a
: a stump or group of stumps of a tree especially when producing suckers
b
: a plant crown from which shoots grow out
c
: a shoot or growth from a stool
5

stool

2 of 2

verb

stooled; stooling; stools

intransitive verb

: to throw out shoots in the manner of a stool

Examples of stool in a Sentence

Noun She sat on a stool. The patient had bloody stools.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The bar area offers 16 bar stools and 30 more seats have been added in the dining areas. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024 The cake is placed on a stool in front of Josiah while Zach and Tori try to rally their older kids to stand behind them. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Still, neither the stool nor blood test will replace the colonoscopy for high-risk populations, such as those with inflammatory bowel disease, Imperiale said. Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2024 Timberlake welcomed the vintage goodwill, posting a photo of five empty stools onstage at the Wiltern after the show. August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Like a stool test, the blood test requires a follow-up colonoscopy if there’s an abnormal result, which could lead to more out-of-pocket costs. Carla K. Johnson, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Additional actions a provider may recommend could include stool softeners or laxatives. Dua Aldasouqi, Health, 13 Mar. 2024 Team principals and engineers were lined up on stools in their little cubbyholes crowding around laptops. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024 There are about twenty seats indoors, all of them counter stools, and one or two are nearly always empty. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
Try navy stools in Midnight and Chenille Tweed, a performance fabric designed to camouflage wear and tear. Addie Morton, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2024 Half of these actors presented a moderate case of diarrhea (describing four to five loose stools the previous night) and the other half were told to present a severe case (10 -12 loose stools the previous night and symptoms of dehydration). Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 27 Feb. 2024 Presson says standard countertop height is 36 inches, so stools between 24-27 inches work best. Addie Morton, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2024 The raw, textured concrete on the walls is juxtaposed by a soft blue and white rug, a wooden Pierre Jeanneret desk, and sleek Donald Judd stools. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2024 Most leather bar stools on the market feature chunky backrests that resemble living room recliners. Addie Morton, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Jan. 2024 The State Dining Room has been transformed into Santa's workshop, with elves' workbenches, stools and ladders circling the Christmas trees and tools and gifts-in-progress rounding out the décor. CBS News, 27 Nov. 2023 This soluble fiber adds bulk to stool and ensures its smooth passage through the GI tract. Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Ld, Verywell Health, 5 Oct. 2023 The scale numbers stools from types 1 to 5, with types 3 and 4 having the optimal appearance for a child's stool. Elizabeth Pratt, Health, 20 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stool.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English stōl; akin to Old High German stuol chair, Old Church Slavonic stolŭ seat, throne

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stool was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near stool

Cite this Entry

“Stool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stool. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stool

noun
ˈstül
1
a
: a seat without back or arms supported by three or four legs or by a central post
b
2
a
: a seat used while urinating or having a bowel movement
b
: a mass of bodily waste discharged from the intestine in a bowel movement

Medical Definition

stool

noun
: a discharge of fecal matter
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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