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

There are underground fires burning in at least two landfills in Southern California — smoldering chemical reactions that are incinerating buried garbage, releasing toxic fumes and spewing liquid waste.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They spew light, energy and solar material into space, sometimes towards Earth, which is the case this week.

Read more on BBC

At Chernobyl, the nuclear reactor actually exploded, spewing material from the reactor’s core straight into the atmosphere.

Read more on Literature

Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, is spewing large columns of lava into the air.

Read more on Barron's

From the top of each tower spewed scalding-hot water that had bubbled up from deep underground.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

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