throw up

British  

verb

1. to give up; abandon, relinquish

2. to build or construct hastily

3. to reveal; produce

   every generation throws up its own leaders

4. informal (also intr) to vomit

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throw up Idioms  

1. Vomit, as in The new drug makes many patients throw up . [First half of 1700s]

2. Abandon, relinquish, as in After the results of the poll came in, she threw up her campaign for the Senate .

3. Construct hurriedly, as in The builder threw up three houses in a matter of a few months . [Late 1500s]

4. throw it up to . Criticize, upbraid, as in Dad was always throwing it up to the boys that they were careless and messy . [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

throw up

This doesn’t mean, however, that parenting doesn’t matter, or that we should throw up our hands and say, “What’s the point?”

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Before she gives her notice, she tells her husband she feels like she’s going to throw up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

"It made me want to throw up," he recalls.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

Among other agenda items, nations will consider how to equitably reduce fossil fuel production and consumption, and reforming subsidies that throw up barriers to renewable energy investment.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

In high school he pursued track, pushing himself so hard he’d throw up at the finish line, and played tennis.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French