spew Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
    spue; ptyalise; ptyalize; spit.
    • The father of the victim spat at the alleged murderer
  2. verb eject or send out in large quantities, also metaphorical
    spew out; eruct.
    • the volcano spews out molten rocks every day
    • The editors of the paper spew out hostile articles about the Presidential candidate
  3. verb eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
    retch; regorge; be sick; disgorge; vomit up; puke; honk; cat; purge; cast; spue; upchuck; vomit; sick; barf; regurgitate; throw up; chuck.
    • After drinking too much, the students vomited
    • He purged continuously
    • The patient regurgitated the food we gave him last night

WordNet


Spew transitive verb
Etymology
OE. spewen, speowen, AS. spiwan;n to D. spuwen to spit. OS & OHG. spiwan, G. speien, Icel. spja to spew, Sw. spy, Dan. spye, Goth. spiewan, th. spjauti, L. spuere to split, Gr. , Skr. shtiv, shthiv. Cf. Pyke, Spit.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Spewed ; present participle & verbal noun Spewing
Definitions
  1. To eject from the stomach; to vomit.
  2. To cast forth with abhorrence or disgust; to eject.
    Because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Rev. ii. 16.
Spew intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To vomit. Chaucer.
  2. To eject seed, as wet land swollen with frost.
Spew noun
Definitions
  1. That which is vomited; vomit.

Webster 1913