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

Yet, “Pretty Lethal” is packed with run-don’t-walk folly that demands to be seen to be believed — if only to throw up your hands and say, “I guess!”

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

People in F1 went to Melbourne nervous about what the first race of the season would throw up.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

It’s easy to throw up your hands at such knuckle-dragging indifference, and Mike told me he has to keep reaching for more stamina.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

One drone he pilots can throw up an effective cloak of invisibility against electronic onslaughts, but others he has trained on don’t hold up well in that domain, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025

Eventually I begin to think I’m going to throw up and crawl away, to the great mirth of everyone.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen