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

Antisemitic people around the world have been using the war as a pretext to spew anti-Jewish hate under the cover of anti-Zionism, as if shooting at Jews in Chicago somehow makes Palestinians in Gaza safer. —Debra Silverstein, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025

For example, wildfires can not only cause direct injury and damage to people and property but can also spew all sorts of nasty stuff into the air. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025

Noun

Seeing that same account spew hate—even for a short time—breaks the spell. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025

On top of that, bits of gold spew from broken rocks and enemies, which both serve to power up DK’s special abilities and can be used to unlock permanent upgrades. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 1 July 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