to throw up vs to vomit vs to puke

Question

Which word is more suitable for formal conversations when we try to say that the food or liquid that was in our stomach comes up and out of our mouth in polite way without sounding too technical ?

and which one mostly is used by doctors ( more techinal) ?

Answer 1

"Throw up" would probably be the right choice in the situation you're describing. It is relatively polite but not technical.

A doctor would use the word "vomit" or if they were being more casual "throw up".

"Puke" is more informal and has more of a disgusting tone than the others, even though it means the same thing.

Answer 2

I'm going to add a fourth word: regurgitate. This is the most technical sounding word. So:

• Regurgitate: very formal (eg: research journals, academic talks, etc)
• Vomit: formal (eg: doctor talking with patient, medical advertisement, etc)
• Throw up: casual everyday language (eg: talking to family/friends/coworkers and more casual medical PSAs)
• Puke: vulgar (eg: used by comedians and children, in sentences containing many curse words, and in vivid descriptions of the event)

Example sentences for each:

1. 3/10 patients in the study were observed regurgitating within 2 hours after experiencing the onset of nausea.
2. Ask your doctor if Examplalil's anti-nausea and vomitting medication is right for you.
3. My vacation was not fun. I was so sick that I threw up!
4. I f***ing puked my brains out! When I finally stopped I had to mop up green bits of spaghetti that got everywhere.

Also, vomit and puke can both be used as nouns to describe the material that comes out. Again, vomit is more formal than puke here.

Answer 3

It is polite to say

I am going number three.