barf

To barf is to vomit or throw up. The contents of a person’s stomach come up through the esophagus and out of a person’s mouth. This is something that almost everyone does, but it’s not pleasant to talk about. The word "barf" is used literally when a person really gets sick:

• A student barfed during class and was sent home because of illness.
• He must be sick because he barfed.
• After drinking all night, Todd barfed when he got home.
• It smells like someone barfed.
• There’s barf all over the floor. (In this sentence, the word "barf" is used as a noun.)

He’s about to barf.

The word "barf" is a strong word that is often used figuratively as a form of exaggeration:

• That makes me want to barf.
• This food tastes like barf.
• Oh barf.

Other words that are used in place of barf are puke, upchuck, and spew. However, these are not polite words. The polite way to speak about a person who barfs is to say that person got sick.

• She barfed in class. (not very polite)
• She got sick in class. (polite)
• She said she was about to barf. (not polite)
• She said she was about to get sick. (polite)

Learn more new words in the Word of the Day section.

January 2, 2019