regurgitate

American  

[ri-gur-ji-teyt] / rɪˈgɜr dʒɪˌteɪt /

verb (used without object)

regurgitated, regurgitating

1. to surge or rush back, as liquids, gases, undigested food, etc.

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verb (used with object)

regurgitated, regurgitating

1. to cause to surge or rush back; vomit.

2. to give back or repeat, especially something not fully understood or assimilated.

   to regurgitate the teacher's lectures on the exam.

regurgitate British  

/ rɪˈɡɜːdʒɪˌteɪt /

verb

1. to vomit forth (partially digested food)

2. (of some birds and certain other animals) to bring back to the mouth (undigested or partly digested food with which to feed the young)

3. (intr) to be cast up or out, esp from the mouth

4. (intr) med (of blood) to flow backwards, in a direction opposite to the normal one, esp through a defective heart valve

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Other Word Forms

• regurgitant noun
• regurgitation noun
• unregurgitated adjective

Etymology

Origin of regurgitate

1645–55; < Medieval Latin regurgitātus (past participle of regurgitāre ), equivalent to re- re- + gurgit-, stem of gurges whirlpool, flood, stream + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

To regurgitate is to bring already swallowed food back up through one's throat and out the mouth. Not so nice in humans, but much more understandable (if still gross) in birds — who feed their baby chicks by regurgitating. Finished cramming for your exam? Ready to do a data dump? Then you're about to regurgitate all you've learned — repeat information verbatim without any real understanding or analysis of it. Don't worry, everyone does it, from high school and college students, to grown-ups in corporate boardrooms.

Example Sentences

Several exhibitors regurgitate the ideas of other, better-known artists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Too much of modern life is dominated by machines that can only regurgitate what has come before, says Bienvenu.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

They’re not trying to build anything new, they’re trying to steal from the past to regurgitate something to sell it to you based on your goodwill feelings from that time.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2025

While they hear everything, there is little they can do other than regurgitate the info online.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2025

Not made freaks: not men covered head to toe in tattoos, not women who regurgitate wallets and lightbulbs on command, not moss-haired girls or men who pound stakes into their sinus cavities.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen