throw back

1. Hinder the progress of, check, as in His illness threw his schooling back a year , or The troops were thrown back by a barrage of fire . [First half of 1800s]

2. Revert to an earlier type or stage, as in That dog throws back to his wolf ancestors . This usage gave rise to the noun throwback , a reversion to a former stage or type. [Second half of 1800s]

3. throw back on . Cause to depend on, make reliant on, as in When the violinist didn't show up, they were thrown back on the pianist . [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

Bipin Joshi threw back a grenade from Hamas attackers before being taken hostage in the assault on Israel two years ago, says the fellow Nepalese student he saved.

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They’re stretching out their hamstrings, wrapping tape tight around their hands, and throwing back cans of energy drink.

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"I assume this is a trick of the light and he’s not actually throwing back bourbon on camera, but it’s interesting that the water looks brown," Yglesias shared on X.

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You tell me, her inquisitor throws back at her, and she concludes somewhat hollowly, “I don’t know.”

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Deckhands throw back the stones and pack the scallops in ice below deck.

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Related Words

• degenerate 
• deteriorate 
• ebb 
• fall back 
• fall off 
• recede 
• revert