castoff

[ kast-awf, -of ]

/ ˈkæstˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

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See synonyms for: castoff / castoffs on Thesaurus.com

adjective

thrown away; rejected; discarded: Out of a few pieces of castoff clothing she made herself a presentable new outfit.

noun

a person or thing that has been thrown away or rejected: I refuse to accept second hand merchandise—some other person's castoffs.Many immigrants felt like castoffs, marginalized by national and global economic forces.

Printing. the estimate by a compositor of how many pages copy will occupy when set in type.

verb phrase cast off [kast-awf, of] /ˈkæst ˈɔf, ˈɒf/

to reject or discard: He soon cast off the shackles of his repressive upbringing.

to let go or let loose, as a vessel or its ropes from a mooring; set sail or begin a voyage: We were about to cast off on a three-day cruise along the coast of British Columbia.

Textiles. to make (the final stitches) in a piece of knitting and remove them from the needle.

Printing. to determine how much space or type will be occupied by (a given amount of text).

to shed or cast: Like leaves on an oak tree, antlers are cast off and then regrown every year.

to throw (a falcon) off from the fist to pursue game.

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Origin of castoff

First recorded in 1735–45; adjective, noun use of verb phrase cast off

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use castoff in a sentence

Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The off-year special election into which Duke threw himself drew little media notice at first.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Aaron Paul may play a young Han Solo in the first Star Wars spin-off.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They are so rich in harmony, so weird, so wild, that when you hear them you are like a sea-weed cast upon the bosom of the ocean.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The motherly woman received the babe instinctively and cast aside the travelling-rug in which he was enveloped.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Now, the whole Northwest groaned beneath a cast-iron prohibition law at that time, and for some years thereafter.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Mrs. Newbolt was looking away toward the hills, a dreamy cast in her placid face.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden

British Dictionary definitions for castoff

cast-off

adjective

(prenominal) thrown away; abandonedcast-off shoes

noun castoff

a person or thing that has been discarded or abandoned

printing an estimate of the amount of space that a piece of copy will occupy when printed in a particular size and style of type

verb cast off (adverb)

to remove (mooring lines) that hold (a vessel) to a dock

to knot (a row of stitches, esp the final row) in finishing off knitted or woven material

printing to estimate the amount of space that will be taken up by (a book, piece of copy, etc) when it is printed in a particular size and style of type

(intr) (in Scottish country dancing) to perform a progressive movement during which each partner of a couple dances separately behind one line of the set and then reunites with the other in their original position in the set or in a new position

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with castoff

cast off

Discard, reject, as in He cast off his clothes and jumped in the pool. This term was already used figuratively in Miles Coverdale's translation of the Bible (1535): “Thy mother ... that hath cast off her housebonds and her children” (Ezekiel 16:45).

Let go, set loose, as in He cast off the line and the boat drifted from the dock. [Second half of 1600s]

In knitting, to finish the last row of stitches, that is, take the stitches off the needle and form a selvage. For example, Your sweater is finished; I just have to cast off. [Late 1800s] Also see cast on, def. 1.