What does spue mean?
Spue means to vomit, or to force liquid, saliva, or another substance out of the mouth. In its most common sense, it describes bringing up the contents of the stomach: a person may spue because of illness, overeating, motion, or another physical cause. The verb can also be used more broadly for liquid being expelled forcefully, as when a pipe spues water onto the ground. Spue is chiefly an American term and is somewhat more vivid than the neutral word “vomit,” although it also has a long history in English and appears in medical or historical prose. Its compact sound and blunt meaning make it especially effective in descriptions of illness, accidents, industrial mishaps, and other circumstances involving forceful expulsion. Although “spew” overlaps with its meaning, spue more specifically evokes vomiting or the forceful discharge of material from the mouth.
verbTo vomit, or to eject saliva or another liquid forcefully from the mouth.
- To vomit the contents of the stomach.
- To eject or spray saliva or another liquid forcefully from the mouth.
"The child spued all over the carpet after the bumpy bus ride."
"She felt ill and began to spue before reaching the restroom."
"The pipe began to spue dirty water across the floor."
In medicine and old-fashioned descriptions, “spue” can mean to bring up the contents of the stomach; it is vivid, blunt, and unmistakably American in ordinary use.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spue come from?
The word comes through Middle English spuen, from Old English spūwan, with senses relating to spitting or vomiting. It belongs to a Germanic word family that also includes spout and is ultimately connected with the Indo-European root represented in Latin spuere, “to spit” or “vomit.” The related English word spew developed from the same broad root.
Related word forms
How spue is actually used
The verb is chiefly American and is relatively informal, though it also appears in formal and historical medical writing. It can sound more graphic or emphatic than “vomit,” especially when describing the act of throwing up.
Easily confused with spue
Both can mean to vomit or eject liquid, but spew is the more common and versatile word, while spue is more specifically associated with vomiting.