vomit

1 of 2

verb

vom·​it ˈvä-mət 

vomited; vomiting; vomits

intransitive verb

1

: to disgorge the stomach contents

2

: to spew forth : belch, gush

transitive verb

1

: to disgorge (the contents of the stomach) through the mouth

2

: to eject violently or abundantly : spew

3

: to cause to vomit

vomiter noun

vomit

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act or instance of disgorging the contents of the stomach through the mouth

also : the disgorged matter

2

: emetic

Synonyms of vomit

Verb

• hurl
• puke
• heave
• gag
• barf
• retch

Examples of vomit in a Sentence

Verb

The dog vomited on the floor.

The patient was vomiting blood.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

One puppy later vomited up a bone, a stark indication of what little the animals had been consuming to survive. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026

Yet to have one lobbed at me intramurally, and by a good buddy like Joshua Messing, made my gut feel as though it were packed with wet sand, too heavy even to vomit. —Chang-Rae Lee, New Yorker, 3 May 2026

Noun

That vomit accretes in layers across avian generations, trapping 50,000 years’ worth of data about the birds’ diet and the sea ice environment. —Hannah Richter, Scientific American, 7 May 2026

Nold said when EMTs arrived, Yolanda was unconscious and covered in vomit with injuries to her wrists from the handcuffs. —John Ramos, CBS News, 7 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French vomite, from Latin vomitus, from vomere to vomit; akin to Old Norse vāma seasickness, Greek emein to vomit

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vomit

• comet
• grommet
• recommit

Kids Definition

vomit

1 of 2 noun

vom·​it ˈväm-ət 

: an act of throwing up the contents of the stomach through the mouth

also : the matter thrown up

vomit

2 of 2 verb

: to throw up the contents of the stomach through the mouth

vomiter noun

Medical Definition

vomit

1 of 2 noun

vom·​it ˈväm-ət 

1

: vomiting

2

: stomach contents disgorged through the mouth

called also vomitus

vomit

2 of 2 intransitive verb

: to disgorge the stomach contents

transitive verb

: to disgorge (the contents of the stomach) through the mouth