retch
12 synonyms for retch, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To make the movements and sounds of being sick without actually bringing anything up.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
It comes from Middle English *recchen, *rechen (found in arechen), hræcen (“to cough up”), from Old English hrǣċan (“to clear the throat, hawk, spit”), from Proto-West Germanic *hrākijan, from Proto-Germanic *hrēkijaną (“to clear one's throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *kreg- (“to caw, crow”). It is cognate with Icela...
Full origin of retch →