diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 211995656..50b7b23a9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ You can also use WebMock without RSpec or Test::Unit support:
 
 	req = Net::HTTP::Get.new("/")
 	Net::HTTP.start("www.example.com") { |http| http.request(req) }.message # ===> "Internal Server Error"
-	
+		
 ### Replaying raw responses recorded with `curl -is`
 
 	`curl -is www.example.com > /tmp/example_curl_-is_output.txt`
@@ -162,6 +162,18 @@ You can also use WebMock without RSpec or Test::Unit support:
 
     RestClient.post('www.example.net', 'abc')    # ===> "abc\n"	
 
+### Raising errors
+
+	stub_request(:any, 'www.example.net').to_raise(StandardError)
+
+    RestClient.post('www.example.net', 'abc')    # ===> StandardError
+
+### Raising timeout errors
+
+	stub_request(:any, 'www.example.net').to_timeout
+
+	RestClient.post('www.example.net', 'abc')    # ===> RestClient::RequestTimeout	
+
 ### Multiple responses for repeated requests
 
 	stub_request(:get, "www.example.com").to_return({:body => "abc"}, {:body => "def"})
@@ -172,7 +184,7 @@ You can also use WebMock without RSpec or Test::Unit support:
 	
 	Net::HTTP.get('www.example.com', '/')    # ===> "def\n" 
 
-### Multiple responses using chained `to_return()` or `to_raise()` declarations
+### Multiple responses using chained `to_return()`, `to_raise()` or `to_timeout` declarations
 
 	stub_request(:get, "www.example.com").
 		to_return({:body => "abc"}).then.  #then() is just a syntactic sugar
diff --git a/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/httpclient.rb b/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/httpclient.rb
index 865628ed6..ae354ffbc 100644
--- a/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/httpclient.rb
+++ b/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/httpclient.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ def build_httpclient_response(webmock_response, stream = false, &block)
       response.reason=webmock_response.status[1]
       webmock_response.headers.to_a.each { |name, value| response.header.set(name, value) }
 
+      raise HTTPClient::TimeoutError if webmock_response.should_timeout              
       webmock_response.raise_error_if_any
 
       block.call(nil, body) if block
diff --git a/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/net_http.rb b/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/net_http.rb
index d3334d0de..05c022887 100644
--- a/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/net_http.rb
+++ b/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/net_http.rb
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ def build_net_http_response(webmock_response, &block)
 
       response.extend StubResponse
 
+      raise Timeout::Error if webmock_response.should_timeout
+
       webmock_response.raise_error_if_any
 
       yield response if block_given?
diff --git a/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/patron.rb b/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/patron.rb
index bae4f0728..a379cc0f1 100644
--- a/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/patron.rb
+++ b/lib/webmock/http_lib_adapters/patron.rb
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ def build_request_signature(req)
       end
 
       def build_patron_response(webmock_response)
+        raise Patron::TimeoutError if webmock_response.should_timeout        
         webmock_response.raise_error_if_any
         res = Patron::Response.new
         res.instance_variable_set(:@body, webmock_response.body)
diff --git a/lib/webmock/request_stub.rb b/lib/webmock/request_stub.rb
index 8383e910b..63b1a309c 100644
--- a/lib/webmock/request_stub.rb
+++ b/lib/webmock/request_stub.rb
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ def to_raise(*exceptions)
       })
       self
     end
+    
+    def to_timeout
+      @responses_sequences << ResponsesSequence.new([ResponseFactory.response_for(:should_timeout => true)])
+      self
+    end
 
     def response
       if @responses_sequences.empty?
diff --git a/lib/webmock/response.rb b/lib/webmock/response.rb
index 388bb7c08..d00c818de 100644
--- a/lib/webmock/response.rb
+++ b/lib/webmock/response.rb
@@ -60,17 +60,24 @@ def raise_error_if_any
       raise @exception.new('Exception from WebMock') if @exception
     end
 
+    def should_timeout
+      @should_timeout == true
+    end
+
     def options=(options)
       self.headers = options[:headers]
       self.status = options[:status]
       self.body = options[:body]
       @exception = options[:exception]
+      @should_timeout = options[:should_timeout]
     end
 
     def evaluate!(request_signature)
       self.body = @body.call(request_signature) if @body.is_a?(Proc)
       self.headers = @headers.call(request_signature) if @headers.is_a?(Proc)
       self.status = @status.call(request_signature) if @status.is_a?(Proc)
+      @should_timeout = @should_timeout.call(request_signature) if @should_timeout.is_a?(Proc)
+      @exception = @exception.call(request_signature) if @exception.is_a?(Proc)
       self
     end
 
@@ -78,7 +85,8 @@ def ==(other)
       self.body == other.body &&
       self.headers === other.headers &&
       self.status == other.status &&
-      self.exception == other.exception
+      self.exception == other.exception &&
+      self.should_timeout == other.should_timeout
     end
 
     private
diff --git a/spec/httpclient_spec_helper.rb b/spec/httpclient_spec_helper.rb
index 4665900af..74d26d19b 100644
--- a/spec/httpclient_spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/httpclient_spec_helper.rb
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ def http_request(method, uri, options = {}, &block)
     })
   end
 
+  def client_timeout_exception_class
+    HTTPClient::TimeoutError
+  end
+
   def default_client_request_headers(request_method = nil, has_body = false)
     {'Content-Type'=>'application/x-www-form-urlencoded'} if request_method == 'POST' && has_body
   end
diff --git a/spec/net_http_spec_helper.rb b/spec/net_http_spec_helper.rb
index 647fcb159..8e0d5cb21 100644
--- a/spec/net_http_spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/net_http_spec_helper.rb
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ def default_client_request_headers(request_method = nil, has_body = false)
       [k, v.flatten]
     }.flatten]
   end
+  
+  def client_timeout_exception_class
+    Timeout::Error
+  end
 
   # Sets several expectations that a real HTTP request makes it
   # past WebMock to the socket layer. You can use this when you need to check
diff --git a/spec/patron_spec_helper.rb b/spec/patron_spec_helper.rb
index 5dabdde88..35c282aaa 100644
--- a/spec/patron_spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/patron_spec_helper.rb
@@ -3,16 +3,16 @@ def http_request(method, uri, options = {}, &block)
     uri = Addressable::URI.heuristic_parse(uri)
     sess = Patron::Session.new
     sess.base_url = "#{uri.omit(:userinfo, :query).normalize.to_s}".gsub(/\/$/,"")
-    
+
     sess.username = uri.user
     sess.password = uri.password
-    
+
     sess.timeout = 10
-    
+
     response = sess.request(method, "#{uri.path}#{uri.query ? '?' : ''}#{uri.query}", options[:headers] || {}, {
       :data => options[:body]
     })
-            
+
     OpenStruct.new({
       :body => response.body,
       :headers => WebMock::Util::Headers.normalize_headers(response.headers),
@@ -20,13 +20,17 @@ def http_request(method, uri, options = {}, &block)
       :message => response.status_line
     })
   end
-  
+
   def default_client_request_headers(request_method = nil, has_body = false)
     nil
   end
 
+  def client_timeout_exception_class
+    Patron::TimeoutError
+  end
+
   def setup_expectations_for_real_request(options = {})
     #TODO
-  end  
+  end
 
 end
diff --git a/spec/request_stub_spec.rb b/spec/request_stub_spec.rb
index 758d43238..de15b7c97 100644
--- a/spec/request_stub_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/request_stub_spec.rb
@@ -124,6 +124,28 @@
 
   end
   
+  describe "to_timeout" do
+
+     it "should assign response with timeout" do
+       @request_stub.to_timeout
+       @request_stub.response.should_timeout.should be_true
+     end
+
+     it "should assign sequence of responses with response with timeout" do
+       @request_stub.to_return(:body => "abc").then.to_timeout
+       @request_stub.response.body.should == "abc"
+       @request_stub.response.should_timeout.should be_true
+     end
+
+     it "should allow multiple timeouts to be declared" do
+       @request_stub.to_timeout.then.to_timeout.then.to_return(:body => "abc")
+       @request_stub.response.should_timeout.should be_true
+       @request_stub.response.should_timeout.should be_true
+       @request_stub.response.body.should == "abc"
+     end
+
+   end
+  
   
   describe "times" do
     
diff --git a/spec/response_spec.rb b/spec/response_spec.rb
index f3bc93804..c82cb06a7 100644
--- a/spec/response_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/response_spec.rb
@@ -64,6 +64,20 @@
     end
 
   end
+  
+  describe "timeout" do
+
+    it "should know if it should timeout" do
+      @response = Response.new(:should_timeout => true)
+      @response.should_timeout.should be_true
+    end
+
+    it "should not timeout by default" do
+      @response = Response.new
+      @response.should_timeout.should be_false
+    end
+
+  end
 
   describe "body" do
 
diff --git a/spec/webmock_spec.rb b/spec/webmock_spec.rb
index 49584f781..616b0a2c7 100644
--- a/spec/webmock_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/webmock_spec.rb
@@ -291,6 +291,25 @@ class MyException < StandardError; end;
       end
 
 
+   describe "raising timeout errors" do
+          
+        it "should raise timeout exception if declared in a stubbed response" do
+          stub_http_request(:get, "www.example.com").to_timeout
+          lambda {
+            http_request(:get, "http://www.example.com/")
+          }.should raise_error(client_timeout_exception_class)
+        end
+
+        it "should raise exception if declared in a stubbed response after returning declared response" do
+          stub_http_request(:get, "www.example.com").to_return(:body => "abc").then.to_timeout
+          http_request(:get, "http://www.example.com/").body.should == "abc"
+          lambda {
+            http_request(:get, "http://www.example.com/")
+          }.should raise_error(client_timeout_exception_class)
+        end
+
+    end
+
       describe "returning stubbed responses" do
 
         it "should return declared body" do