throwaway
Americanadjective
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made or intended to be discarded after use or quick examination.
a throwaway container;
a throwaway brochure.
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delivered or expressed casually or extemporaneously.
a funny throwaway line that brings applause.
noun
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something that is made or intended to be discarded.
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a handbill, advertising circular, pamphlet, etc., intended to be discarded after reading.
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Also called pushout. Informal: Disparaging and Offensive. a youth who is unwanted or rejected by their family, the school system, or society in general.
adjective
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said or done incidentally, esp for rhetorical effect; casual
a throwaway remark
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anything designed to be discarded after use rather than reused, refilled, etc; disposable
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( as modifier )
a throwaway carton
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noun
verb
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to get rid of; discard
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to fail to make good use of; waste
to throw away all one's money on horses
Etymology
Origin of throwaway
First recorded in 1900–05; adjective, noun use of verb phrase throw away
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.
And then she remembered a few throwaway lines from a comedy series about a matchmaking festival in Ireland.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The internet has long accommodated users who wanted to hide their real name behind a clever username or a throwaway account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
If you think this volume was a throwaway effort, think again: it is 640 pages long.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
Clearly, the algorithm masters aren’t too precious about these throwaway texts; their core strategy will always be to embrace whatever seems to work best in the moment.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
So it’s back to the car and my red-inked help-wanted ads, both in the Star Tribune and a throwaway called Employment News.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
