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 WoodfordeExamples of puke in a Sentence
Verb
the drunken reveler staggered out the door and promptly puked in the bushes
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 26 June 2025
Dina investigates the nearby trees and returns to puke her guts out.
—EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for puke
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Verb
Those that made this list checked off all our experts’ must-haves, actually tasted decent, and didn’t leave me puking on the side of the course.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 26 June 2025
Dina investigates the nearby trees and returns to puke her guts out.
—EW.com, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
The beat retched like Tin Man choking on his own silvery puke while Fraxiom called out NYU kids and threatened to pee on Zedd.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for puke
Cite this Entry
“Puke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/puke. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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