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

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

"It's so bad. Like, if you saw a human skull in this way, you'd throw up."

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

Second marriages often throw up these kinds of financial dilemmas for blended families.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Many of the top teams in college basketball throw up triples at astronomical rates, taking well over half their shots from behind the arc in pursuit of gamebreaking runs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

I saw Aunt Pooh throw up Garden Disciple signs so much that I figured I could, too.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas