English Reference
Verb

urinate

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈjɝəˌneɪt/ UK /jˈɔːɹɪnˌeɪt/ uri·nate UK spelling urinated, urinates, urinating

v.to pass urine from your body. It is a more formal or medical way to say you are going to the bathroom to pee.

v.to discharge urine from the body. Often used in medical or formal contexts to describe the physiological process of excretion.


SIMPLE

The doctor asked him to urinate in a clean cup.

CONTEXTUAL

After drinking several glasses of water, the patient felt the need to urinate more frequently than usual.

COMPLEX

The study monitored how often participants urinated throughout the day to determine the effectiveness of the new hydration protocol.

Marie-Hélène says she had no choice but to urinate in public.

BBC News· 19 Aug 2026

Borrowed from Medieval Latin urinātus, perfect passive participle of urinō (“urinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), equivalent to urine + -ate. Compare French uriner.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated