retch

verb

ˈrech How to pronounce retch (audio)
especially British
ˈrēch How to pronounce retch (audio)
retched; retching; retches
Synonyms of retchnext

transitive verb

: vomit sense 1

intransitive verb

: to make an effort to vomit
also : vomit
retch noun

Synonyms of retch

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of retch in a Sentence

the smell of rotten cabbage makes me retch
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Even the sound of the breaking chips made June retch. — Literary Hub, 20 Mar. 2026 Vomiting and retching can occur up to five times an hour. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025 Hunched and retching over her slain father is Electridad (Melissa Lozada), writhing at onlookers and passersby. — Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2025 At dinner this week sans Tamra, the housewives start dinner at the restaurant oyster bar, where Gina starts to gag and retch after eating – does the terror of the sea also work with seafood? — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for retch

Word History

Etymology

Middle English *rechen to spit, retch, from Old English hrǣcan to spit, hawk; akin to Old Norse hrækja to spit

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of retch was in 1538

Rhymes for retch

See All Rhymes for retch

Browse Nearby Words

retaste
retch
retcon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Retch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retch. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Medical Definition

retch

intransitive verb
ˈrech, especially British ˈrēch
: to make an effort to vomit

transitive verb

: vomit
retch noun

More from Merriam-Webster on retch

Nglish: Translation of retch for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All