spew

1 of 2

verb

ˈspyü 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• gush
• jet
• pour
• rush
• spout
• spurt
• squirt
• swoosh

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

Topline The Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano located off the Pacific Northwest coast that last erupted in 2015 and spewed several miles of lava along the seafloor, could be preparing to erupt soon, according to scientists observing seismic activity in the area. —Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025

The moon spent a few million years as a volcanic wasteland, covered with ongoing eruptions that spewed from mountains and even from the ground itself. —Nola Taylor Tillman, Space.com, 8 May 2025

Noun

Like when running rich, excess water spews from the exhaust, or quenches the spark plugs. —New Atlas, 1 Feb. 2025

Hawkins makes this seem like a monumental spew of words rather than benign chitchat. —Matthew Schnipper, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for spew

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

spew

1 of 2 verb

ˈspyü 

: to send or come out in a flood or gush

spew

2 of 2 noun

: matter that is spewed out