throw up

verb

threw up; thrown up; throwing up; throws up

intransitive verb

: vomit

transitive verb

1

: vomit

2

: to raise quickly

3

: to build hurriedly

new houses thrown up almost overnight

4

: give up, quit

… the urge … to throw up all intellectual work …

—Norman Mailer

5

: to bring forth : produce

6

: to make distinct especially by contrast : cause to stand out

7

: to mention repeatedly by way of reproach

see also:

throw up one's hands

Synonyms of throw up

• vomit
• hurl

Examples of throw up in a Sentence

she must have eaten something that didn't agree with her because she threw up right after dinner

when the townspeople realized that the President's motorcade would be coming through on its way to the conference, they threw up a hasty “Welcome” sign

Recent Examples on the Web

With opponents as varied as Morocco, Haiti and Scotland to face in the group stage alone, Clement expects this World Cup to throw up different challenges from a coaching and tactical perspective. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 14 June 2026

Apparently, the Knicks players throwing up bricks and turning the ball over had nothing to do with it. —Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026

Jones had to get past the initial heartbreak of suffering a late-season injury and having his status for the postseason thrown up in the air. —Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026

Moments after throwing an inbounds pass to the Knicks’ top closer, Anunoby darted to the basket just as Jalen Brunson threw up a 3. —Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for throw up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

throw up

verb

1

: to build or raise hurriedly or quickly

threw up the window

2

: to give up : quit

just wanted to throw the whole thing up

3

: vomit entry 2 sense 1

Medical Definition

throw up

intransitive verb

ˌthrō-ˈəp 

: vomit