throw up

verb

threw up; thrown up; throwing up; throws up

intransitive verb

: vomit

transitive verb

1

: vomit

2

: to raise quickly

3

: to build hurriedly

new houses thrown up almost overnight

4

: give up, quit

the urge … to throw up all intellectual work

—Norman Mailer

5

: to bring forth : produce

6

: to make distinct especially by contrast : cause to stand out

7

: to mention repeatedly by way of reproach

Phrases

throw up one's hands

: to admit defeat

in the end throws up his hands in despair

—Frank Conroy

Synonyms

• barf
• gag
• heave
• hurl
• puke
• retch
• spew
• spit up
• upchuck
• vomit

Examples of throw up in a Sentence

she must have eaten something that didn't agree with her because she threw up right after dinner

when the townspeople realized that the President's motorcade would be coming through on its way to the conference, they threw up a hasty “Welcome” sign

Recent Examples on the Web

New Orleans threw up the proverbial white flag while the Hornets were squaring off versus the Jazz, shutting down South Carolina native Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum for the rest of the season. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2025

Every Abby Jimenez book throws up dire circumstances in love’s way, but X. and Sam seem to get double or triple the trouble. —Julio Ojeda-Zapata, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 2025

Marshall throws up a difficult floater, even drawing a foul, and the shot still goes into the basket. —Fred Katz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

More than 30 years later, John Carlos and Tommie Smith threw up the Black Power fists seen all over the world. —Ken Makin, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for throw up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

throw up

verb

1

: to build or raise hurriedly or quickly

threw up the window

2

: to give up : quit

just wanted to throw the whole thing up

3

: vomit entry 2 sense 1

Medical Definition

throw up

intransitive verb

ˌthrō-ˈəp 

: vomit