🤮
Face Vomiting
feys VOH-mit-ing
Definitions
1
Emotional · Disgust
Very Common
Depicts a face vomiting green fluid, used to express extreme disgust, revulsion, or sickness in response to something repulsive, offensive, or nauseating.
Commonly used in casual conversations to express strong negative reactions. Avoid in professional contexts or serious health discussions.
Just saw someone put ketchup on their ice cream 🤮
Instagram comment
That new horror movie was so graphic 🤮 couldn't even finish watching it
WhatsApp message
When your ex tries to text you after ghosting for 3 months 🤮
Twitter/X post
While primarily expressing disgust, this emoji has evolved to convey metaphorical revulsion at ideas, statements, or images rather than literal sickness.
2
Physical · Illness
Common
Represents actual physical sickness, nausea, or vomiting due to illness, food poisoning, excessive alcohol consumption, or pregnancy-related morning sickness.
Used when discussing actual physical illness rather than metaphorical disgust. Can be seen as oversharing in some contexts.
Caught that stomach bug going around, been 🤮 all night
Text message
Never drinking tequila again 🤮 worst hangover ever
Group chat
While Western cultures often use this emoji to discuss illness openly, some Asian cultures consider explicit sickness references impolite in public conversations.
3
Slang · Rejection
Emerging
Used to express strong disapproval, rejection, or contempt for someone's behavior, opinion, or style, particularly in youth culture and social media.
Increasingly used as shorthand for rejecting ideas or aesthetics rather than expressing physical disgust. Can be perceived as harsh criticism.
Did you see his outfit at the party? Those pants with those shoes 🤮
Instagram DM
People who chew with their mouth open 🤮
TikTok comment
Gen Z has expanded this emoji's meaning beyond literal sickness to encompass social judgment and performative disgust reactions, especially on TikTok and Instagram.
Evolution Timeline
2017
Introduced in Unicode 10.0 as 'Face with Open Mouth Vomiting', quickly adopted for expressing disgust beyond literal sickness.
Growing demand for more expressive face emojis showing extreme emotions
2018
Usage expanded beyond literal vomiting to metaphorical disgust at ideas, fashion, and behaviors on platforms like Twitter.
Political polarization and 'reaction culture' on social media
2020
Saw significant usage increase during COVID-19 pandemic, both for discussing actual illness and expressing disgust at pandemic-related behaviors.
Global health crisis heightening awareness of illness and hygiene
2021
Gen Z adopted as shorthand for aesthetic rejection and cringe reactions, particularly on TikTok and Instagram.
Rise of short-form video content requiring quick, dramatic emotional reactions
Cultural Context
The face vomiting emoji bridges literal and figurative disgust expressions, allowing users to convey visceral reactions without explicit language, making it popular across age groups despite its graphic nature.
While Western cultures freely use this emoji in casual conversation, many East Asian cultures consider it overly graphic and impolite, preferring more subtle expressions of discomfort or displeasure.
Gen Z has expanded this emoji's meaning to include aesthetic and moral judgments, using it to 'cancel' or reject ideas, while older generations primarily use it for physical illness references.
This emoji's distinctive green color makes it highly visible in text streams, contributing to its popularity as an attention-grabbing reaction on fast-moving platforms like Twitter and TikTok.
The introduction of this emoji in 2017 filled a significant gap in digital emotional expression, as previous options like 🤢 (nauseated face) didn't fully capture the intensity of extreme disgust reactions.
Regional Variations
Australia
Australians frequently use this emoji in relation to extreme heat, unusual foods, or excessive drinking, often with characteristic Australian humor.
United Kingdom
British users employ this emoji more frequently in the context of drinking culture and hangover references, often with self-deprecating humor.
United States
Americans frequently use this emoji to express disgust at political opinions, with usage spikes during election seasons and controversial policy announcements.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: More literal usage focused on actual sickness, with increasing adoption of metaphorical disgust expressions. Often used in family group chats discussing illness or bad food experiences.
Gen_Z: Primary use for aesthetic judgment, cringe reactions, and performative disgust. Frequently used on TikTok and Instagram to reject ideas, fashion choices, or opinions.
Older: Limited usage primarily confined to literal illness descriptions. Often misinterpreted as a general sick face rather than specifically vomiting. Rarely used for metaphorical disgust.
Millennials: Commonly used for actual illness, hangovers, and food poisoning. Also employed for political commentary and reactions to news events deemed morally repugnant.
Common Combinations
🤮🤢
Extreme disgust or nausea progressing to vomiting, often used to describe severe reactions.
Used to create a narrative sequence showing escalating disgust, common in reaction to gross content online.
🤮😂
Finding something disgusting yet amusing, or laughing at one's own extreme reaction.
Reflects internet culture's tendency to find humor in discomfort, popular in reaction to gross-out humor.
🤮💀
Something so disgusting or revolting it figuratively 'killed' the person or left them speechless.
Part of Gen Z's hyperbolic expression style, using death imagery to convey extreme reactions.
🍺🤮
Hangover or excessive drinking leading to sickness, often used as a warning or to describe past experiences.
Common in weekend social media posts, particularly among college students and young adults.
🤮🙄
Disgust combined with exasperation, often at someone's behavior or opinion deemed both gross and tiresome.
Frequently used in political or social commentary to express fatigue with recurring offensive content.
Related Emojis
🤢
Milder version showing nausea before vomiting, often used in sequence
😷
Indicates illness but focuses on contagion rather than nausea
🥴
Shows disorientation that might accompany nausea or intoxication
🍺
Often paired to indicate alcohol-induced sickness
🙅
Both express rejection, though vomit emoji is more visceral