spit up
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spit 1
(spĭt)n.
1. Saliva, especially when expectorated; spittle.
2. The act of expectorating.
3. Something, such as the frothy secretion of spittle bugs, that resembles spit.
4. A brief, scattered rainfall or snowfall.
5. Informal The perfect likeness: He's the spit and image of his father.
v. spat (spăt) or spit, spit·ting, spits
v.tr.
1. To eject from the mouth: spat out the grape seeds.
2. To eject as if from the mouth: a fire spitting sparks.
3. To emit suddenly and forcefully: spat out an insult.
v.intr.
Phrasal Verb: 1. To eject matter from the mouth; expectorate.
2. To express contempt or animosity, especially by ejecting matter from the mouth.
3. To make a hissing or sputtering noise: french fries spitting in the pan.
4. To rain or snow in light, scattered drops or flakes.
spit up
To vomit. Used especially of a baby.
[Middle English, from spitten, to spit, from Old English spittan, ultimately of imitative origin.]
spit 2
(spĭt)n.
1. A slender, pointed rod on which meat is impaled for roasting.
2. A narrow point of land extending into a body of water.
tr.v. spit·ted, spit·ting, spits
To impale on or as if on a spit.
[Middle English, from Old English spitu.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Verb | 1. | spit up - give reluctantly; "He coughed up some money for his children's tuition" give - transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody; "I gave her my money"; "can you give me lessons?"; "She gave the children lots of love and tender loving care" |
| 2. | spit up - discharge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth cough - exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion; "The smoker coughs all day" |
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