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Synonyms

spew

American  
[spyoo] / spyu /
Sometimes spue

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 British  
/ 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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. something ejected from the mouth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • spewer noun
  • unspewed adjective

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

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.

He’s feared, yes, but only by those who believe propaganda that the villains spew.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

As Quartz reported Wednesday, users are also complaining about an onerous software-update process, malfunctioning Siri mechanisms, and A.I.-generated responses that are even less accurate than those that spew from hallucinating engines like ChatGPT.

From Slate • Nov. 1, 2024

San Francisco — Jet airplanes spew enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and noxious chemicals, but the industry insists it wants to clean itself up.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024

The CMEs spew out plasma and magnetic field, and up to billions of ton of material, that can hit Earth.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2024

I’m kneeling beside Marlena, cradling her head in my hands when people spew forth from the connection.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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.