disgorge

American  

[dis-gawrj] / dɪsˈgɔrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

disgorged, disgorging

1. to eject or throw out from the throat, mouth, or stomach; vomit forth.

2. to surrender or yield (something, especially something illicitly obtained).

3. to discharge forcefully or as a result of force.

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verb (used without object)

disgorged, disgorging

1. to eject, yield, or discharge something.

disgorge British  

/ dɪsˈɡɔːdʒ /

verb

1. to throw out (swallowed food, etc) from the throat or stomach; vomit

2. to discharge or empty of (contents)

3. (tr) to yield up unwillingly or under pressure

4. (tr) angling to remove (a hook) from the mouth or throat of (a fish)

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Other Word Forms

• disgorgement noun
• disgorger noun
• undisgorged adjective

Etymology

Origin of disgorge

1470–80; < Middle French desgorger, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -gorger, derivative of gorge throat; gorge ¹

Explanation

There's really no way to put this delicately. Disgorge is just a fancy word for "throw up." Usually, this somewhat icky word is applied to birds or animals rather than people. Gorge is an old-fashioned word for the throat, so to disgorge is to eject something through the throat. (Yuck.) In addition to its literal meaning, disgorge also has the broader metaphorical meaning of "to empty out." So a bus might disgorge its passengers and a spy might disgorge her secrets — for the right price.

Example Sentences

Complimentary coffee appears in the Surfcomber’s lobby at 7 a.m., and tastes much better than anything an in-room Keurig will disgorge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Leigh doesn’t put his characters on the couch or disgorge the traumas that are etched in every word and gesture.

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2024

Pere points over to the port, far beyond the rows of street vendors and swelling crowds filling the square, explaining that some cruises disgorge as many of 12,000 visitors every day onto the island.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2024

But while restrained in form and implications, “Zone” is never coy, and is surprisingly quick to disgorge its secrets.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2023

The island, low and often swampy, is created by the collision of the Amazon with the sea, which forces the river to disgorge dissolved sediments.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• regurgitate