1 B1 informal
To expel food or liquid from the stomach through the mouth.
"The dog vomited up everything it had eaten that morning."
separable
vomit up
B1 informal separable transitive
To expel the contents of the stomach through the mouth, or figuratively to say something unpleasant suddenly.
In plain English
To sick up food or drink from your stomach, or to suddenly say something you didn't mean to.
What does "vomit up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To suddenly and involuntarily reveal information or say something one intended to keep quiet.
"Under pressure from the detective, the suspect vomited up the whole story."
separable
3 C1 idiomatic informal
(Of a machine or system) to produce or eject something, often something unwanted.
"The old printer vomited up a crumpled mess of paper."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To vomit something upward and out — physically transparent.
Actually means
To sick up food or drink from your stomach, or to suddenly say something you didn't mean to.
Usage tip
More graphic than 'bring up' or 'throw up'. The figurative sense (blurting out information) is common in informal speech. Occasionally used metaphorically to describe a machine or system expelling something.
Words that pair with "vomit up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
food contents blood information secret bile
How to conjugate "vomit up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
vomit up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
vomits up
he/she/it
Past simple
vomited up
yesterday
Past participle
vomited up
have + pp
-ing form
vomiting up
continuous
Hear "vomit up" in the wild
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