retch
pronunciation
How to pronounce retch in British English:
UK [retʃ]
How to pronounce retch in American English:
US [rɛtʃ]
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- Noun:
- an involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting
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- Verb:
- eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
- make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit
Word Origin
- retch (v.)
- 1540s, originally "to clear the throat, to cough up phlegm," from Old English hræcan "to cough up, spit" (related to hraca "phlegm"), from Proto-Germanic *khrækijan (cognates: Old High German rahhison "to clear one's throat"), of imitative origin (compare Lithuanian kregeti "to grunt"). Meaning "to make efforts to vomit" is from 1850; sense of "to vomit" is first attested 1888. Related: Retched; retching.
Example
- 1. The sight of blood makes him retch .
- 2. As always , the gin made him shudder and even retch slightly .
- 3. Children pull t-shirts to their noses and mouths so they don 't retch but cannot resist peering at the slain young men .
- 4. The thought made him retch .
- 5. To cause to choke , retch , or undergo a regurgitative spasm .