puked; puking; pukes
informal
: vomit entry 1
… the hideous smell, which … had made me hold my stomach and my breath sometimes, in an effort not to puke …—
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks'You Washington know-it-alls make me puke,' Quimper said, retiring from the conversation.—James A. Michener
James A. MichenerSadly for Sam, sailing is not his strong suit, prompting him to puke his guts out all over the place.—Josh Wigler
—often used with upJosh WiglerJust puked up the cup of coffee I tried to down as my only form of nourishment.—Hugh Gallagher
Hugh Gallagher"Damn woman, first you puke up and then you catch an attitude."—Hariette Surovell
Hariette Surovell
plural pukes
1
informal
: vomit
I remember there was always dog puke on the sidewalks in El Paso.—Jayne Anne Phillips
Jayne Anne PhillipsThe launch back was full of hung over sailors, and marines in even worse shape. It smelled of puke and piss from the night before.—David Poyer
David Poyer2
slang
: a disgusting, unlikeable, or contemptible person
"… handles winning well, but when he gets in trouble, he behaves like a little puke."—Mark Woodforde
Mark WoodfordeSynonyms
Examples of puke in a Sentence
Verb
the drunken reveler staggered out the door and promptly puked in the bushes
Recent Examples on the Web
Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
In one scene, Tovmasyan’s character gets his nose broken and then pukes after taking painkillers.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
Woodall reciprocates with his own sweet snaps of Campbell on his Instagram account, including an October 2019 Halloween pic of the couple holding a jack-o-lantern with pumpkin seeds as pretend puke.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 15 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for puke 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
His old friend Nora from his grade school days is in the hospital puking up blood.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
In one scene, Tovmasyan’s character gets his nose broken and then pukes after taking painkillers.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Noun
More than an hour after Sunday’s game, fans were still squatting on random curbs and corners, trying to get home, picking their way through the puke in the tailgating lot, jostling with hundreds of others using ride-hailing services in a chaotic parking lot.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023
Woodall reciprocates with his own sweet snaps of Campbell on his Instagram account, including an October 2019 Halloween pic of the couple holding a jack-o-lantern with pumpkin seeds as pretend puke.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 15 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for puke
Dictionary Entries Near puke
Cite this Entry
“Puke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puke. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share