throw up

verb

"throw-up" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“throw up” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see throw, up.

Corpus desk

Index EN-throw-up · throw up · English

throw up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for throw up
PropertyValue
Headwordthrow up
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “throw up” in English

throw upfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

throw up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for throw up in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: The vomit sense is a clipping of throw up one's accounts (18th century), from earlier idiom cast up one's accounts (15th century). The correct English form is throw up, spelled T-H-R-O-W- -U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see throw, up.
  2. 2
    To vomit.
  3. 3
    To produce or reveal something new or unexpected.
  4. 4
    To cause something such as dust or water to rise into the air.
  5. 5
    To erect, particularly hastily.
  6. 6
    To give up, abandon something.
  7. 7
    To display a gang sign using the hands.
  8. 8
    To enlarge, as a picture reflected on a screen.
  9. 9
    To give special prominence to a line or lines.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how throw up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
  2. The servant (who) had first entered had thrown up the window […]

Etymology

The vomit sense is a clipping of throw up one's accounts (18th century), from earlier idiom cast up one's accounts (15th century).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "throw up"?
"throw up" is spelled T-H-R-O-W- -U-P.
What does "throw up" mean?
As a verb, "throw up" means: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see throw, up.
What is the origin of the word "throw up"?
The vomit sense is a clipping of throw up one's accounts (18th century), from earlier idiom cast up one's accounts (15th century). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list