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

in the end throws up his hands in despair

—Frank Conroy

Synonyms

• 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 global pandemic threw up a myriad of challenges for the franchise sector and many brands are continuing to deal with the fallout from that, together with changing consumer behaviours, inflation, recruitment and supply chain issues. —Fiona Simpson, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025

If the individual begins throwing up, or if symptoms get worse or last for over an hour – call 911. —Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

When combined with the region's arid climate, huge amounts of dust were thrown up into the air. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 11 June 2025

At every thrust the tip of the blade entered an inch or two into the ground and threw up small puffs of dust. —Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 10 June 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