retch
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
-
(intr) to undergo an involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting; heave
-
to vomit
noun
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.
“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
Rittenhouse tried to keep going, gesticulating with his arms but speaking in a vomitous retch.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2022
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
To watch her husband retch up filthy foot water in front of the people, to stand by his side while others laughed, to support him and walk away from Uncle Turu and his stories.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
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.
