retch
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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(intr) to undergo an involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting; heave
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to vomit
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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retchsimple
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retchessimple
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have retchedperfect
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has retchedperfect
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are retchingprogressive
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am retchingprogressive
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is retchingprogressive
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have been retchingperfect progressive
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has been retchingperfect progressive
Past
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retchedsimple
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had retchedperfect
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was retchingprogressive
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were retchingprogressive
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had been retchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of retch
1540–50; variant of reach, Old English hrǣc an to clear the throat (not recorded in ME), derivative of hrāca a clearing of the throat; compare Old Norse hrǣkja to hawk, spit
Explanation
To retch is to gag, or nearly vomit. The smell of a passing garbage truck on a hot summer day might make you retch. Sometimes, retch is used to literally mean "throw up," but it usually means to come very close to throwing up without actually vomiting. You might retch because you're sick, or when you have to eat something you hate, like overcooked cauliflower. Retch is also a noun: "When I heard the retch from the bathroom, I knew he'd caught that stomach bug." Originally, to retch meant "to clear the throat."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The heat lingered around 100 degrees, and while Young danced and sang, she began to visibly gag and retch before running off the stage and asking for a bucket.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
His mum Dawn Kafi, from Liverpool, said food made him retch and gag.
From BBC • Jan. 18, 2022
But they’re also 4-3 against the three worst teams in the Eastern Conference, and if you didn’t retch a little during that double-digit loss in Atlanta, your stomach is stronger than mine.
From Washington Post • Jan. 18, 2018
For about 40 of those years, the sight of that bust has made Willie Mahone, a local lawyer, want to retch.
From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2016
The ironman stumbled out after him, white-faced and struggling not to retch.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
