cast away
Idioms-
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]
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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.
"Practical Magic 2" cast away Sony's "Spider-Man" from its weeks-long perch atop the North American box office, industry estimates showed Sunday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
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
Could I recall the moments I have careless cast away, I could but hope to spend them in a wiser way, and warm myself in light that rivals light of day.’
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.