spew

Sometimes spue

[spyoo]

verb (used without object)

1. to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth; vomit.

verb (used with object)

1. to eject from the stomach through the mouth; vomit.

2. to cast forth, gush, or eject, as in disgust or anger.

   The angry sergeant spewed his charges at us.

noun

1. something that is spewed; vomit.

spew

/ spjuː /

verb

1. to eject (the contents of the stomach) involuntarily through the mouth; vomit

2. to spit (spittle, phlegm, etc) out of the mouth

3. (usually foll by out) to send or be sent out in a stream

   flames spewed out

noun

1. something ejected from the mouth

Other Word Forms

• spewer noun
• unspewed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of spew¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of spew¹

Old English spīwan; related to Old Norse spӯja, Gothic speiwan, Old High German spīwan, Latin spuere, Lithuanian spiauti

Example Sentences

Not the fact that the president of the United States used a eulogy to divide a fractured nation even further by spewing bile.

From Salon

Earlier in September, an incident south of Dungannon led to sewage spewing into the River Rhone.

From BBC

For nearly 20 years, thousands of industrial plants across the U.S. and California have been required to track and report the greenhouse gas pollution they spew into the atmosphere.

From Los Angeles Times

It could also help clean up the port, which has long struggled with pollution issues linked to ship engines, diesel trucks and other freight equipment that spews particulate matter into the air.

From Los Angeles Times

One priority should be upgrading the Saturn Boulevard river crossing, he said, where the culverts create a small waterfall, to eliminate the churning water that spews pollution.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• belch 
• cascade 
• eject 
• erupt 
• gush 
• heave 
• scatter 
• spit 
• vomit