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

Throughout his career, it was rumored that Hall threw up from nerves before each game, a fact the late Hawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz supported, having witnessed it while attending games during his youth at Chicago Stadium. —Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026

The skinny on why cats throw up, and when you should be concerned. —Jane Sykes, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026

Spurs wing Keldon Johnson screams at the top of his lungs as his teammates throw up their hands in unison. —Jared Weiss, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026

During her stint as a cast member in Broadway’s Hair, Keaton was in a constant battle with her weight and overheard a cast member talking about throwing up her food. —Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 26 Dec. 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