What does vom mean?
Vom is an informal English word with both verbal and noun uses. As a verb, it means to expel the contents of the stomach, much like vomit, and it can be used transitively or intransitively: a person may vom food, vomit up an object, or simply vom. The word has no strongly euphemistic quality and is not normally treated as obscene, although its bluntness makes it more characteristic of speech, informal writing, and comic or exaggerated contexts than of formal prose. In multiplayer gaming, vom has a separate meaning: ejecting a player abruptly from a game or server. As a noun, vom refers to vomit or a quantity of expelled stomach contents, though this use is less common than the verb. The word is especially associated with American English but is also understood and used informally in British English.
To expel the contents of the stomach; in multiplayer gaming slang, to eject a player abruptly.
"The doctor asked whether he had been vomiting or felt nauseated."
The gaming sense is specific to multiplayer and online gaming communities.
Vomit, especially a quantity of the material expelled from the stomach.
"The kitten left a small vom on the rug."
Relatively uncommon and often treated as a mass noun.
Rare in ordinary usage; the noun is more often treated as an uncountable mass noun.
"The floor was covered in voms."
One word can mean both bringing up yesterday’s lunch and ejecting an opponent from a game lobby.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vom
Vom developed as an informal alteration of vomit in the early 20th century. Vomit itself came through Middle English from Latin vomitare, a frequentative derived from vomere, meaning “to spew” or “disgorge.” Related English forms include vomitive and vomitory, both associated with causing vomiting.
Related word forms
How vom is actually used
The word is informal and less formal than vomit. Its gaming sense is specialized and should not be used outside its usual gaming context. The noun is relatively uncommon and is often treated as a mass noun.