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Synonyms

cast away

Idioms  
  1. Also, cast aside . Discard, reject, as in He picked a book, then cast it aside , or She cast away all thoughts of returning home . [Early 1400s]

  2. Squander, waste, as in She cast away a fortune on jewelry . Shakespeare used this idiom in King John (2:1): “France, hast thou yet more blood to cast away?” [Early 1500s]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

What should have been a unique way for “Supergirl” to remark on the infantilization projected onto so many women superheroes is cast away as a joke so lame it doesn’t even deserve to be finished.

From Salon Jun. 27, 2026

Anguished and alone, Nick is similarly cast away, seemingly cursed to spend the rest of his days forsaken in his hometown, now a foreign land.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 19, 2026

COSTNER: When they weren’t useful, they were just cast away.

From Seattle Times May 19, 2024

They will share which eight recordings, book and luxury item they would take with them if they were cast away on a desert island.

From BBC Nov. 26, 2022

You won’t have anything else here.” and having delivered her defiance all on one breath, Meg cast away her pinafore and precipitately left the field to bemoan herself in her own room.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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