spew
Americanverb (used without object)
-
spews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spewed,
past participle, past
-
spewing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
spews,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spewed,
past participle, past
-
spewing
present participle
-
to eject from the stomach through the mouth; vomit.
-
to cast forth, gush, or eject, as in disgust or anger.
The angry sergeant spewed his charges at us.
noun
verb
-
to eject (the contents of the stomach) involuntarily through the mouth; vomit
-
to spit (spittle, phlegm, etc) out of the mouth
-
(usually foll by out) to send or be sent out in a stream
flames spewed out
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spewsimple
-
spewssimple
-
have spewedperfect
-
has spewedperfect
-
am spewingprogressive
-
are spewingprogressive
-
is spewingprogressive
-
have been spewingperfect progressive
-
has been spewingperfect progressive
Past
-
spewedsimple
-
had spewedperfect
-
was spewingprogressive
-
were spewingprogressive
-
had been spewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spew
First recorded before 900; Middle English spewen “to vomit, cast forth foul language,” Old English spīwan “to vomit”; cognate with German speien, Old Norse spȳja, Gothic speiwan, Latin spuere
Explanation
To spew is to forcefully expel something, the way a volcano spews hot lava when it erupts, or the way you might spew soda from your mouth if your friend makes you laugh right after you take a big gulp. You might see steam spew from the factory near your house or watch a city bus spew smoke from its exhaust pipe. Figuratively, to spew can also mean "to say ugly or hateful things," and some people also use it to mean "vomit." The Old English source of spew is spiwan ("to spit") and comes from a root that probably imitated the sound of someone spitting.
Vocabulary lists containing spew
Articles on Environmental Issues and Sustainable Living
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I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
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Jerry Lee Lewis (1935–2022) Tribute List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Teenager Jasmine Bernard, who lives in a neighborhood bordering Boxtown, has been fighting for two years against the gas turbines that power the data center and spew emissions into the air.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Today, mobile devices endlessly spew entertainment that rarely models healthy social behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
It used to be that coal’s biggest opponents were environmentalists who raised alarms about the soot they spew.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
"So that could always spew out a variant that might be more infectious for humans."
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
When Myrna read of Miss O’Hara, she would spew espresso all over the letter in consternation.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
When Thoreau spews nonsense, such as men, “like the earth, revolve mainly from west to east, and so are flattened at the poles,” let’s call the silliness by its real name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
A short walk away, a threshing machine spews clouds of dust and chaff as wheat pours out in a steady stream, rattling into worn brown sacks at farmers' feet.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Concerns remain about an AI bubble and big tech’s colossal investments in AI infrastructure, and the technology still spews out reams of inaccurate information.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 1, 2026
Pullman is delightfully slimy as an unhinged delusional narcissist, high on his own supply of motivational word salad that he spews into his laptop camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2024
You had no internal warning, and it spews out all over the puzzle table like white-water foam.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Authorities evacuated more than 500 people last year after Fuego spewed gas and ash, with residents moved to shelters from communities near the crater.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
Several blocks in Garden Grove were evacuated Thursday afternoon as toxic chemicals spewed into the air from a leaking storage tank at an aerospace company, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The January rupture spewed 243 million gallons of raw sewage into the waterway in one of the worst wastewater disasters in U.S. history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Fury and venom at Celtic's calamitous attempt at a Champions League bid and a transfer window has spewed and sparked like hot lava from sections of the support.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2025
I spewed out a pigginful of water and began to breathe again.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
An AFP team saw a chimney spewing out black smoke at the site, which in places resembles a black lunar landscape, in March 2025.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
His film has ill will spewing from every pore, a complete loathing for humanity.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes in the Western Hemisphere, started spewing lava and ash on Monday.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Still, the “Odyssey” star appeared to have made it through without spewing any body fluids.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Isidore said, terror spewing through him; he had not thought of it naturally but the owner had a wife, who of course was home.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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