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

Lyndon Dykes looked, for a second, as if he was going to throw up.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

The metaphor police throw up their hands in surrender.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 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

Diana spoke so calmly, but I felt like I might throw up or faint.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn