throw back
Idioms-
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]
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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]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Deckhands throw back the stones and pack the scallops in ice below deck.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2024
From his seat on the warning track, Canzone managed to make a heads-up throw back to the infield — a one-hopper to second base that kept the Cubs’ Michael Busch from advancing past first base.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 14, 2024
He backtracked desperately, and the throw back to the infield skidded past second baseman Ozzie Albies.
From Washington Times • Oct. 9, 2023
It was exciting to throw guitars on a Bollywood moment, and then throw back to an old Japanese song from the '60s that I love.
From Salon • May 1, 2023
I coasted off the road and pulled to within fifty feet of the godlike thing, so close that I had to throw back my head and raise my eyes to vertical to see its branches.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
