throw in the towel

Cultural  

1. To quit in defeat. The phrase comes from boxing, in which a fighter indicates surrender by throwing a towel into the ring: “After losing the election, he threw in the towel on his political career.”

---

Example Sentences

Also of note, while investors were back to questioning AI plays on Thursday, strategists said that doesn’t mean people have been wholesale throwing in the towel on tech.

From MarketWatch

In this regard, bull-market tops are not the mirror opposite of bear-market bottoms, which often are characterized by plunging sentiment as the last remaining optimists throw in the towel.

From MarketWatch

Bear markets tend to be more violent, with the market plunging as the few remaining bulls throw in the towel.

From Barron's

They are facing an ominous task in Brisbane where England have won just twice since World War II, but another former England captain is not yet ready to throw in the towel.

From Barron's

“If I were distracted by” negative press, she said in an interview when she was given the role, “I would’ve had to throw in the towel a very, very long time ago.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bow
• break down
• buckle
• capitulate
• cave in
• cease
• defer
• give in
• give way
• go down
• pass away
• perish
• quit
• wilt
• yield