spew
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
-
to eject from the stomach through the mouth; vomit.
-
to cast forth, gush, or eject, as in disgust or anger.
The angry sergeant spewed his charges at us.
noun
verb
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to eject (the contents of the stomach) involuntarily through the mouth; vomit
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to spit (spittle, phlegm, etc) out of the mouth
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(usually foll by out) to send or be sent out in a stream
flames spewed out
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spewsimple
-
spewssimple
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have spewedperfect
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has spewedperfect
-
am spewingprogressive
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are spewingprogressive
-
is spewingprogressive
-
have been spewingperfect progressive
-
has been spewingperfect progressive
Past
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spewedsimple
-
had spewedperfect
-
was spewingprogressive
-
were spewingprogressive
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had been spewingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spew
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
Explanation
To spew is to forcefully expel something, the way a volcano spews hot lava when it erupts, or the way you might spew soda from your mouth if your friend makes you laugh right after you take a big gulp. You might see steam spew from the factory near your house or watch a city bus spew smoke from its exhaust pipe. Figuratively, to spew can also mean "to say ugly or hateful things," and some people also use it to mean "vomit." The Old English source of spew is spiwan ("to spit") and comes from a root that probably imitated the sound of someone spitting.
Vocabulary lists containing spew
Articles on Environmental Issues and Sustainable Living
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I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
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Jerry Lee Lewis (1935–2022) Tribute List
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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.
Large language models can spew Mississippi Rivers of data and text, but they struggle to write a log line for a 120-page screenplay, a subtitle for a book, or a few lines of poetry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
It used to be that coal’s biggest opponents were environmentalists who raised alarms about the soot they spew.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
The city’s growth has far outpaced the existing sewage treatment plants, and inadequate and broken facilities spew waste into the river, polluting the water and air in Imperial Beach and other communities near the border.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2025
They've shown a part of the body known to recycle proteins has a secret mode that can spew out an arsenal of bacteria-killing chemicals.
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2025
Indeed, sir, say I, for I am awash on the seas of chance and giddy with their heaving—and thus I spew.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
