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

• pour
• rush
• stream

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

Early Sunday on the same sparsely populated peninsula, the Krasheninnikov volcano spewed white ash clouds into the sky for the first time in hundreds of years. —Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025

The government ignored Hamilton’s warning, and for 50 years lead spewed from every car’s tailpipe, contaminating the air, soil, and bodies of generations. —Tom Frieden, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025

Noun

Colts coach Steichen spews lava, draws unsportsmanlike conduct for running onto the field. —Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025

One little alien spews tiny tadpole-looking critters into a water bottle, later swigged down by junior engineer Malachite (Jamie Bisping). —Noel Murray, Vulture, 3 Sep. 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