spew
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /spjuː/
rhymes: -uː
Forms: form: spews
form: spewing
form: spewed
form: spewed
form: spewn
Etymology: From Middle English spewen, from Old English spīwan, from Proto-West Germanic *spīwan, from Proto-Germanic *spīwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ptyēw- (“to spit, vomit”).
Germanic cognates include English spit, West Frisian spije, Dutch spuwen, Low German speen, spiien, German speien (“to spew, spit, vomit”), Swedish spy, Danish spy, Faroese spýggja, Gothic 𐍃𐍀𐌴𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽 (speiwan). Also cognate, through Indo-European, with Latin spuō (“spit”, verb), Ancient Greek πτύω (ptúō, “spit, vomit”), Albanian fyt (“throat”), Armenian թուք (tʻukʻ), Russian плева́ть (plevátʹ), Persian تف (tof), Sanskrit ष्ठीवति (ṣṭhī́vati).
Senses: examples: text: But you get to the beach via monorail and you get to the sand and look out to the ocean and all you see is oil tankers and factories spewing smoke on the horizon. It was like some sort of futuristic dystopia.
ref: 2014 December 11, Megan Willett, “The 16 Most Disappointing Places To Visit On Earth”, in Business Insider UK:
glosses: To eject forcibly and in a stream,
examples: text: The blow is not as severe as those to his leg. It is meant only to break, not crush. Blood and internal fluids spew from his nose.
ref: 2013, John Andes, Control Is Jack, →ISBN, page 216:
glosses: To be forcibly ejected.
examples: text: Set such a program running and it will continue to spew out sentences until you shut it down.
ref: 1999, Laurence Goldstein, Clear and Queer Thinking, →ISBN:
text: Outside of the basic reading, writing, and math skills, and having an idea of what's out there, they were just spewing useless information.
ref: 1999, Lee Carroll, Indigo Children, →ISBN, page 212:
text: They smile for the camera as they spew their phony message of tolerance, diversity and perversity.
ref: 2006, Bill Bowman, Savage Lies, →ISBN:
text: Our main concerns about these people, is the propaganda they are spewing on our children and how they are twisting and distorting lies about our military and anyone that disagrees with them
ref: 2010, Victor Bernson, Foolish Naive or Just Plain Stupid, →ISBN, page 38:
text: It is important to realize that communicating product knowledge requires feature and benefit components that prove more effective than simply spewing raw data such as specifications, dimensions, horsepower, and torque.
ref: 2010, Samuel T. Foust, Sixteen Steps to Six Figures: A Game Plan for Sales Success, →ISBN, page 9:
glosses: To speak or write quickly and voluminously, especially words that are not worth listening to or reading.
examples: text: The lies continued to spew forth.
ref: 2011, Kari Rains, It Doesn't Hurt That Bad: And Other Lies My Mom Told Me, →ISBN, page 31:
glosses: To be written or spoken voluminously.
examples: text: Bleeding gums an' no saliva can make your partner spew.
ref: 2008, Colin Shaddick, Isn't Sex Noisy, →ISBN, page 41:
glosses: To vomit.
examples: text: I rise at eleven, I dine about two, I get drunk before seven, and the next thing I do; I send for my whore, when for fear of a clap, I spend in her hand, and I spew in her lap
ref: 17th century, widely attributed to John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
text: Inquiring minds may be wondering what could possibly cause the rev to behave in such a fashion, thereby diverting his attention away from such a holy task. Well, the answer lies deep. Not deep within his heart, mind, or soul. But deep inside his clammy right hand, which was clutching a handful of shiny black horse hair that had been woven into the back of Daphne's unsteady head. After the rev had spewed his load in Daphne's mouth, he reached down and picked up the Holy Bible,
ref: 2012, F.W. Brooks, The Tithes of March: A Novel by F.W. Brooks, →ISBN:
text: She swiftly pulled herself away, and turned around to face him on her knees, as both cocks jerked abruptly and began to spew their load.
ref: 2017, Carl East, The Future of Sex:
glosses: To ejaculate.
examples: text: The spewing or moulding of upper leather is something that causes considerable annoyance.
ref: 1907, Shoe Retailer and Boots and Shoes Weekly, volume 63, page 65:
text: A manufacturer writes: We have had so much trouble with colored side leather and both colored and black cabrettas spewing within the past six or eight months that we are at our wits' end to overcome it. All of the tanners from whom we buy the stock contend that this is the best indication that all the animal fats have not been extracted from the leather.
ref: 1920, The Leather Manufacturer, volumes 31-32, page 409:
text: Plasticizers may react differently. For example, some will spew immediately, some after continuous testing for a prolonged period of time, and, in some cases, the plasticizer will reside on a material surface only when the material is under compression stress.
ref: 2004, George Wypych, Handbook of Plasticizers, →ISBN, page 77:
text: A leather dressing may brighten the object and give it a 'finished' look, but may not actually contribute to its conservation. Finishes may lead to problems in the long run, so care should be taken. Dressings may absorb dirt and may create a tacky surface. If they contain inappropriate ingredients or if too much is applied these may spew onto the surface.
ref: 2006, Marion Kite, Roy Thomson, Conservation of Leather and Related Materials, →ISBN, page 115:
qualifier: leather-working
glosses: To develop a white powder or dark crystals on the surface of finished leather, as a result from improper tanning.
Derived terms: spewer
spew alert
spew up