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

The real gag is catching the rare spectacle of drunk Sheldon, who burps the number of pi and throws up on the clown decorations in the bathroom. —Shay Spence, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

Lamb vehemently denied social media rumors that he was spotted throwing up outside of the casino. —Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

In a major eruption, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide get thrown up into the stratosphere. —Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025

And Poland’s efforts to stymie the case – seemingly to shield its ally Ukraine - has thrown up new tensions in Europe. —Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 15 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