spew

1 of 2

verb

spewed; spewing; spews

intransitive verb

1
: vomit
2
: to come forth in a flood or gush
3
: to ooze out as if under pressure : exude

transitive verb

1
: vomit
2
: to send or cast forth with vigor or violence or in great quantity
a volcano spewing out ash
often used with out
spewer noun

spew

2 of 2

noun

1
: matter that is vomited : vomit
2
: material that exudes or is extruded

Examples of spew in a Sentence

Verb Exhaust spewed out of the car. Smoke and ashes spewed from the volcano. The volcano spewed hot ash. The faucet started spewing dirty water. The dog spewed vomit on the rug.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
That bulletin noted multiple incidents in October of anonymous calls to mosques and an Islamic school in Arizona that spewed threatening or vulgar language. Donie O'Sullivan, CNN, 14 Nov. 2023 In 2010, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, on Iceland’s southern coast, ejected 330 million cubic yards of material and spewed ash 30,000 feet high. Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023 Volcanoes—even ones that spew ice—need heat to erupt, so recent activity would suggest Pluto’s interior has more heat than previously thought, perhaps from radioactive elements in its core. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2023 During both outbursts, the comet brightened significantly and spewed clouds of gas and icy debris that looked like two matching horns. Denise Chow, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2023 Overall, experienced parents with credentials get the virtual microphone; those spewing pseudoscience are shut down. Curbed, 18 Oct. 2023 Li explained that common cold symptoms, like a running nose and coughing, can spew bodily fluids into the air, often landing on household items like towels. Kaitlin Vogel, Health, 1 Oct. 2023 Armando Herman, 56, routinely spews inflammatory diatribes and hurls racial epithets — ugly remarks that are typically protected by the 1st Amendment. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2023 Ebay may have to cough up as much as $2 billion in fines for allegedly allowing the distribution and sale of hundreds of thousands of products that significantly increase pollution spewing from diesel pickup trucks. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2023
Noun
Trump spews hate — hate of immigrants and of Democrats. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2023 But if the two faucets are running full blast, the G and DM valves get overwhelmed, and water spews over the tub’s sides into excess inflation. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 May 2023 When threatened, the catalpa sphinx caterpillar spews out green goo and thrashes around violently. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2023 Norfolk Southern, the US railway company responsible for the toxic spew of vinyl chloride, has now offered a $25,000 donation to assist the area’s nearly 5,000 residents who were ordered to evacuate their homes, or face death. Julia Malleck, Quartz, 9 Feb. 2023 The spew was everywhere. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 24 Aug. 2022 Take the president’s mind-numbing spew of lies. New York Times, 6 Oct. 2020 Researchers say the 1257 mystery spew is comparable in scope to a second-century AD eruption in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand, known as the most intense historic volcanic event. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2013 This whirlwind sequence unfolds Alexandre’s romantic desperation, torrentially intellectual word-spew, and essential traditionalism. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spew.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English spīwan; akin to Old High German spīwan to spit, Latin spuere, Greek ptyein

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spew was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near spew

Cite this Entry

“Spew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spew. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

spew

1 of 2 verb
: to send or come out in a flood or gush

spew

2 of 2 noun
: matter that is spewed out

More from Merriam-Webster on spew

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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