Meaning & use
spew
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To flow or shoot out in a large, fast stream, or to make something do so.
Grammar: Transitive: the pipe spewed water. Intransitive with out: lava spewed out.
Patterns
- spew something out
- spew out of something
The broken pipe spewed water across the floor.
Smoke spewed from the chimney all morning.
The volcano spewed ash into the sky.
verbtransitivedisapproving
To say a lot of words, usually angry, silly or hateful, in a rush.
Grammar: Often followed by out and a plural object: spew out insults.
Patterns
- spew something out
- spew hatred
The commentator spewed insults at everyone who disagreed.
Online trolls spew venom from behind fake names.
He spewed nonsense for twenty minutes.
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
To vomit.
Grammar: Informal and direct: the child spewed in the car.
Patterns
- spew up
The child spewed in the back seat on the winding road.
He spewed up his dinner after the boat ride.
Word forms
| third person singular | spews |
|---|---|
| past tense | spewed |
| past participle | spewed |
| -ing form | spewing |
Common combinations
- spew out
- The factory spews out thick smoke.
- spew lava
- The crater spewed lava for days.
- spew hatred
- The page spews hatred about immigrants.
- spew forth
- Water spewed forth from the burst main.
- spew venom
- She spewed venom at her old boss.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gush
- Gush describes a strong flow, often of liquid, and does not always sound unpleasant.
- spout
- Spout suggests a narrower jet, and for words it means talking at length.
- erupt
- Erupt suggests a sudden burst, typically of a volcano or of anger.
- vomit
- Vomit is the plain term for the body process, whereas spew is more vivid and informal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: spew or spy?
spew vs spy
Spy is a person who secretly gathers information and sounds similar only in a rushed accent.
Practice
The factory ____ black smoke into the air for years.
Choose one answer.
Spewed means sent out in a heavy stream, which suits smoke. Sipped, stored and sprinkled do not fit a large, forceful emission.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spew”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.