What does disgorged mean?
To disgorge is to eject or pour out a large quantity of something suddenly and forcefully. The word applies across a striking range of contexts: a person may disgorge the contents of their stomach; a bus or train may disgorge a crowd of passengers; a river or drainage pipe may disgorge torrents of water; and a company or individual may be legally compelled to disgorge profits gained through wrongdoing. Though rooted in the physical act of bringing something up from the throat, the verb is most commonly used figuratively or semi-figuratively today, lending writing a vivid, almost theatrical quality — the image of a vessel or place bursting with contents it can no longer hold. It is a formal or literary choice, rarely heard in casual speech, but prized by writers for its precision and energy. Its legal sense, established in American jurisprudence, makes it a staple of financial journalism.
verbPast tense and past participle of "disgorge": to pour out or discharge a large amount of contents suddenly or violently, whether from a mouth, throat, container, vehicle, or place.
- (of a person or animal) to eject the contents of the stomach; to vomit or bring something back up from the throat
- (of a vehicle, building, or place) to discharge or pour forth people or things suddenly in large numbers
- (of a river, drain, or channel) to flow out or discharge water into another body of water
- (of a container or vessel) to spill or empty out its contents
- (figurative, especially legal/financial) to give up something, especially money obtained dishonestly
"The bus disgorged its passengers onto the rain-soaked pavement outside the station."
"The ferry disgorged hundreds of tourists into the narrow streets of the old town."
"The court ordered the fraudster to disgorge the millions he had siphoned from investors."
From the Latin for 'whirlpool,' 'disgorge' once described rivers vomiting their floodwaters into the sea — today it describes everything from buses emptying passengers to companies giving up ill-gotten profits in court.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disgorged
"Disgorge" entered English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French "desgorger," formed from the intensive prefix "des-" plus "gorge," meaning "throat." "Gorge" itself traces back through Late Latin "gurga" to Latin "gurges," meaning "whirlpool" or "gulf." The original English sense — to vomit or bring food back up from the throat — remains current, though figurative uses have long since broadened the word's reach. It shares this throaty lineage with "regurgitate," "engorge," and "gullet," all descendants of the same Latin root for a swirling depth of water.
Related word forms
How disgorged is actually used
"Disgorge" is relatively formal or literary in tone. It often carries a slightly vivid or dramatic connotation, evoking an image of contents being thrust out forcefully. In legal contexts, particularly US securities law, "to disgorge" has a technical meaning: to surrender ill-gotten gains. The verb is usually transitive, taking the thing discharged as its object ("the truck disgorged its load").
Easily confused with disgorged
"Discharged" is a more neutral term for releasing or letting go, while "disgorged" specifically implies a forceful, sudden pouring-out of contents.