retch

verb

ˈrech How to pronounce retch (audio)
especially British
ˈrēch How to pronounce retch (audio)
retched; retching; retches

intransitive verb

: to make an effort to vomit
also : vomit
retch noun

Examples of retch in a Sentence

the smell of rotten cabbage makes me retch
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Shortly afterward, he was seen retching in a field. Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024 The Bachelorette: Meet the 25 contestants hoping to woo Jenn Tran Graziadei ended up retching after trying the concoction during the episode, before eventually giving it a very generous four out of 10 star rating. EW.com, 29 June 2024 Friedel also points to a relevant source of inspiration for him and Glazer: the final scene of the documentary The Act of Killing, in which a war criminal — the genocidal Indonesian gangster Anwar Congo — also breaks into a fit of retching, as if finally overcome by what he’s done. A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024 There’s one scene in particular that will have audiences buzzing, or retching, or both — suffice it to say this is not a film to be screened at Lamaze classes. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024 By contrast, Garner and Helms are game for anything — including belching, farting and retching — but all their enthusiastic mugging can’t mask the fact that CC and Wyatt aren’t much more than a stereotypical surly teen and a stereotypical geek. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 The camera then cut to the princess in the bathroom, retching. Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2023 There are two kinds of moms: the mom who retches at the thought of matching her children, and the mom who stocks her daughter's closet full of tiny nap dresses. Woman's Day, 21 July 2023 Overtaken by rekindled emotions — and liquid courage — Turizo ends up retching into the nightclub’s toilet while an unmasked Marshmello listens from the next stall over. Thania Garcia, Variety, 2 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English *rechen to spit, retch, from Old English hrǣcan to spit, hawk; akin to Old Norse hrækja to spit

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of retch was in 1538

Dictionary Entries Near retch

Cite this Entry

“Retch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

retch

verb
ˈrech How to pronounce retch (audio)
British
rēch How to pronounce retch (audio)
1
2
: to try to vomit

Medical Definition

retch

intransitive verb
ˈrech, especially British ˈrēch
: to make an effort to vomit
retch noun

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