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

Phrases

throw up one's hands

: to admit defeat

I finally threw up my hands thinking, "enough is enough."

—Debby Efurd

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

When the show was over, the cast and writers would head to Danny’s Hide-A-Way, on Steak Row (East Forty-fifth Street), where Caesar would down a bottle of Stolichnaya and lead the others in a Trimalchian feast—sometimes throwing up, either from nerves or from the desire to keep eating. —David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025

With those turbulent waters somewhat behind us, the ones under the ship claim another victim, and poor Britani runs off to throw up over the side of the boat. —Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025

Instead of calling 911 immediately after his daughter was unconscious, Reed searched YouTube for information on how to make a child throw up and tried to get naloxone, a medication that can be used to reverse opioid overdoses, delivered via DoorDash, according to the affidavit. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2025

Keep reading, then join me in throwing up a tree as early as possible this year. —Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

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