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

The tornado are strong winds will throw up debris, such as trees and leaves, which also registers on the radar and can give further confirmation. —David Clarey, jsonline.com, 14 Apr. 2026

Pictures of the outing show Wilson throwing up a peace sign next to Batula, who kept a low profile in sunglasses and what appears to be a scarf wrapped around her head while inside the establishment. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026

Karácsony is one of those decent, upstanding politicians which degraded systems sometimes throw up unexpectedly. —Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2026

Mara was credited with just one block, but his mere presence made UConn either throw up circus shots high off the glass or retreat from the paint altogether. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 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