Meaning & use
projectile vomit
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemedical
Vomit that is thrown out with great force, often shooting some distance from the mouth.
Grammar: Uncountable, so it takes no plural: 'a case of projectile vomit', not 'projectile vomits'.
Patterns
- a case of projectile vomit
- episodes of projectile vomit
The nurse warned that projectile vomit can be a sign of a blocked stomach in newborns.
She changed her shirt after the baby produced projectile vomit across the room.
Doctors asked how often the projectile vomit occurred and how far it traveled.
verbintransitivemedical
To vomit with sudden, explosive force so that the stomach contents shoot out.
Grammar: No object; the person or animal is the subject: 'the puppy projectile vomited'. Usually written as two words.
Patterns
- someone projectile vomits
- something projectile vomits
He projectile vomited right after the feeding and scared his parents.
The kitten projectile vomited twice before the vet saw it.
If a child projectile vomits repeatedly, call a doctor.
adjectivebefore a nounmedical
Describing vomiting that comes out with sudden, explosive force.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'projectile vomiting'; not usually used after a verb.
Patterns
- projectile vomiting
- projectile vomit episode
Projectile vomiting in infants needs medical attention.
The clinic listed projectile vomiting as a warning symptom.
Her notes described several projectile vomit episodes during the night.
Word forms
| third person singular | projectile vomits |
|---|---|
| past tense | projectile vomited |
| past participle | projectile vomited |
| -ing form | projectile vomiting |
Common combinations
- projectile vomiting
- Projectile vomiting can quickly lead to dehydration in small babies.
- a case of projectile vomit
- The doctor recorded a case of projectile vomit after the morning feed.
- projectile vomit across the room
- The toddler managed to projectile vomit across the room.
- sign of projectile vomit
- Forceful spitting up is not the same as a sign of projectile vomit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vomiting
- The general word for throwing up; it does not say anything about force, so it is the safer everyday choice.
- throwing up
- Informal and neutral; use it in conversation when the explosive force is not important.
- emesis
- A technical medical term for vomiting; it sounds more clinical and is rare in everyday speech.
Word family
- vomit verb
- To throw up food from the stomach.
- vomiting noun
- The act of throwing up.
- projectile noun
- An object that is fired or thrown forward with force.
Commonly confused: projectile vomit or spit up? projectile vomit or projectile?
projectile vomit vs spit up
Babies normally spit up a small amount of milk; projectile vomit is much more forceful and can travel a distance.
projectile vomit vs projectile
On its own, 'projectile' means a flying object such as a bullet or stone, not vomit.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'projectile vomit' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Projectile vomit' describes forceful, shooting vomit, so sentence A fits. B is wrong because 'softly' contradicts the force, C wrongly uses it as a medicine, and D is wrong because the term is medical and not a polite expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “projectile vomit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.