puke
English · Thesaurus
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puke¹
- /pjuːk/
Rhymes with -uːk
Where it comes from
Probably imitative; or, alternatively related to Proto-Germanic *pukaną (“to spit, puff”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”). If so, then related to German pfauchen, fauchen (“to hiss, spit”), Dutch spugen (“to spit, spit up”), German spucken (“to spit, puke, throw up”), and Old English spīwan (“to vomit, spit”). More at spew.
Attested as early as 1581, first mention is the derivative pukishness (“the tendency to be sick frequently”). In 1600, "to spit up, regurgitate", recorded in the Seven Ages of Man speech in Shakespeare's As You Like It.
noun pukes
- vomit. 2007, The Guardian, The Guardian Science blog, "The latest in the war on terror: the puke saber" the puke saber … pulses light over rapidly changing wavelengths, apparently inducing "disorientation, nausea and even vomiting"
- A drug that induces vomiting. "at 8 a.m. took a puke of vinum antimoniale; which operated very kindly; was very weak the remainder of the day."
- A worthless, despicable person.
- A person from Missouri. "Pukes" and "suckers" had badly mauled the Saints, the first pummeling them from Missouri and the second from Illinois.
verb pukes · puking · puked
- To vomit; to throw up; to eject from the stomach. Unfortunately, he could not hold it long enough till the end of the ride, so he puked on the bus seat.
- To sell securities or investments at a loss, often under duress or pressure, in order to satisfy liquidity or margin requirements, or out of a desire to exit a deteriorating market.
puke²
- /pjuːk/
Rhymes with -uːk
noun
- A fine grade of woolen cloth. Puke-stocking caddis garter
- A very dark, dull, brownish-red color.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: upchuck, barf, retch, disgorge, regorge, vomit, regurgitate, throw up, vomitus, stinker, spew, bum, honk, be sick, sick, lowlife
Translations
Talk about this word "puke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/puke. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. puke. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/puke "puke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/puke.Cite this
@misc{puke_2026,
title = {puke},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/puke},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
