Idioms for throw
Origin of throw
before 1000; Middle English
throwen, thrawen (v.), Old English
thrāwan to twist, turn; cognate with Dutch
draaien, German
drehen to turn, spin, twirl, whirl; akin to Latin
terere, Greek
teírein to rub away
SYNONYMS FOR throw
1
fling,
launch,
send.
Throw,
cast,
pitch,
toss imply projecting something through the air.
Throw is the general word, often used with an adverb that indicates direction, destination, etc.:
to throw a rope to someone, the paper away.
Cast is a formal word for
throw, archaic except as used in certain idiomatic expressions (
to cast a net, black looks; cast down; the compound
broadcast, etc.):
to cast off a boat.
Pitch implies throwing with some force and definite aim:
to pitch a baseball. To
toss is to throw lightly, as with an underhand or sidewise motion, or to move irregularly up and down or back and forth:
to toss a bone to a dog.
OTHER WORDS FROM throw
mis·throw, verb, mis·threw, mis·thrown, mis·throw·ing.WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH throw
throe throwWords nearby throw
British Dictionary definitions for throw off (1 of 2)
throw off
verb (mainly tr, adverb)
to free oneself of; discard
to produce or utter in a casual manner
to throw off a witty remark
to escape from or elude
the fox rapidly threw off his pursuers
to confuse or disconcert
the interruption threw the young pianist off
(intr, often foll by at) Australian and NZ informal
to deride or ridicule
British Dictionary definitions for throw off (2 of 2)
throw
/ (θrəʊ) /
verb throws, throwing, threw or thrown (mainly tr)
noun
See also
throw about,
throwaway,
throwback,
throwback,
throw in,
throw off,
throw out,
throw over,
throw together,
throw up
Derived forms of throw
thrower, nounWord Origin for throw
Old English
thrāwan to turn, torment; related to Old High German
drāen to twist, Latin
terere to rub
Idioms and Phrases with throw off (1 of 2)
throw off
Cast out, rid oneself of, as in He threw off all unpleasant memories and went to the reunion. [Early 1600s]
Give off, emit, as in The garbage was throwing off an awful smell. [First half of 1700s] Also see throw out, def. 1.
Also, throw or put off the scent. Distract, divert, or mislead, as in A mistaken estimate threw off her calculations, or These clues were designed to throw the detective off the scent. The variant comes from hunting, where the quarry may try to put pursuing hounds off the scent. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s. Also see off the track.
Perform in a quick, spontaneous, or casual manner, as in He threw off one sketch after another. [Mid-1700s]
Idioms and Phrases with throw off (2 of 2)
throw