Phrasal verb
chuck up
Definition
phrasal verb. to vomit — an informal, casual way to talk about being sick.
phrasal verb. to vomit; marked British informal / slang, generally inappropriate in formal or medical writing, where 'vomit' or 'be sick' is preferred.
Examples
“He chucked up after eating the bad curry.”
“Three pints in, his mate chucked up all over the taxi and had to pay for the cleaning.”
“The cadet, unused to the heaving deck, chucked up over the railing while his instructor looked on with weary amusement.”
Examples
simple
“He chucked up after eating the bad curry.”
contextual
“Three pints in, his mate chucked up all over the taxi and had to pay for the cleaning.”
complex
“The cadet, unused to the heaving deck, chucked up over the railing while his instructor looked on with weary amusement.”
Usage
strongly marked register — avoid in formal contexts and outside British English.
Teaching tip
align with other British informal terms for vomiting ('throw up', 'be sick', 'puke'); useful for teaching register stacking since 'chuck up' sits below 'throw up' in formality.
Pitfall
The doctor asked if the patient had chucked up.
The doctor asked if the patient had vomited.
'chuck up' is too informal for medical or formal registers; learners should reach for 'vomit' or 'be sick' in those contexts.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
chuck + up
Synonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/chuck-up