throw up

verb

threw up; thrown up; throwing up; throws up

intransitive verb

: vomit

transitive verb

1

: vomit

2

: to raise quickly

3

: to build hurriedly

new houses thrown up almost overnight

4

: give up, quit

the urge … to throw up all intellectual work

—Norman Mailer

5

: to bring forth : produce

6

: to make distinct especially by contrast : cause to stand out

7

: to mention repeatedly by way of reproach

Phrases

throw up one's hands

: to admit defeat

in the end throws up his hands in despair

—Frank Conroy

Synonyms

• barf
• gag
• heave
• hurl
• puke
• retch
• spew
• spit up
• upchuck
• vomit

Examples of throw up in a Sentence

she must have eaten something that didn't agree with her because she threw up right after dinner

when the townspeople realized that the President's motorcade would be coming through on its way to the conference, they threw up a hasty “Welcome” sign

Recent Examples on the Web

Robbins throws up two podcasts a week, plus endless social media riffs. —Belinda Luscombe / Boston, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024

Kourtney's 9-year-old son, Reign Disick, meanwhile, threw up a middle finger in the back row as his mom asked him to put it down for the picture. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024

Aaron Rodgers threw up a prayer and it was answered by Allen Lazard, who reeled in a 52-yard touchdown catch. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 15 Oct. 2024

The pass bounced to the grass, and Will Sheppard threw up his hands in disbelief. —Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Kids Definition

throw up

verb

1

: to build or raise hurriedly or quickly

threw up the window

2

: to give up : quit

just wanted to throw the whole thing up

3

: vomit entry 2 sense 1

Medical Definition

throw up

intransitive verb

ˌthrō-ˈəp 

: vomit