retch
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to undergo an involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting; heave
-
to vomit
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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retchsimple
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retchessimple
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have retchedperfect
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has retchedperfect
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am retchingprogressive
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are retchingprogressive
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is retchingprogressive
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have been retchingperfect progressive
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has been retchingperfect progressive
Past
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retchedsimple
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had retchedperfect
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was retchingprogressive
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were retchingprogressive
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had been retchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retch
1540–50; variant of reach, Old English hrǣc an to clear the throat (not recorded in ME), derivative of hrāca a clearing of the throat; compare Old Norse hrǣkja to hawk, spit
Explanation
To retch is to gag, or nearly vomit. The smell of a passing garbage truck on a hot summer day might make you retch. Sometimes, retch is used to literally mean "throw up," but it usually means to come very close to throwing up without actually vomiting. You might retch because you're sick, or when you have to eat something you hate, like overcooked cauliflower. Retch is also a noun: "When I heard the retch from the bathroom, I knew he'd caught that stomach bug." Originally, to retch meant "to clear the throat."
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:
“For nearly 250 years, Mary has played a distinct role in our great American story,” Trump declared, offering a brief Catholic history of the United States that would’ve made this country’s Puritan forefathers retch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
His mum Dawn Kafi, from Liverpool, said food made him retch and gag.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2022
She’s looks like she’s about to retch as she hoists a raw turkey from the sink where she was washing it.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 10, 2021
John Whaite confusing salt and sugar in a technical round, causing Paul Hollywood to retch over his rum babas!
From The Guardian ● Aug. 26, 2019
The thought of it made her want to retch, but her body had nothing to give.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Diana’s wardrobe becomes a gorgeous prison, from the string of pearls that repeatedly tightens around her neck to the stunning Chanel gown she wears as she retches into a toilet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2021
With a flourish, almost with dedication, with loud retches.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 7, 2019
When Tenorman learns of his error, he retches and begins to sob.
From Newsweek ● Feb. 19, 2013
While a fellow student retches, the teacher exalts his genius.
From New York Times ● Sep. 27, 2012
It rises, a thrashing of wings, up through her trachea—until Yo retches.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
They retched when he complained, “I know you’re upset. We’re upset. Our building burned down.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
As we walked along 12th Avenue East toward my car at 3 a.m., we passed a man rubbing another man’s back as he retched on a dirt sidewalk strip.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2023
McDonald spoke of the usual chicken and spaghetti at that hour, and no one retched, at least not audibly.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 25, 2021
When I hoisted myself into the driver’s seat, I practically retched.
From New York Times ● Jul. 24, 2020
It was hard for Natalie to stand, to keep her feet planted in the shifting water, but she braced her legs and held her mother up as she coughed and spat and retched.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
The smell was so overwhelming that workers started retching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
Instead she found two of her co-workers vomiting, with one retching into her bowl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
Ms Ormerod said her father came to the door saying: "I really don't feel very well," with him retching and screwing his face up.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023
My husband and I had hoped for this pregnancy, but at that point, part of me thought a miscarriage would at least end the retching.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2023
Malfoy fell off the broom and lay facedown, gasping, coughing, and retching.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
