throw in the towel
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
NPR is tracking the number of lawmakers who have decided to throw in the towel this year.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026
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 • Dec. 2, 2025
“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 • Nov. 20, 2025
Chasing 233, the Proteas were on the ropes at 78-5, but their tail refused to throw in the towel, showing the same grit that saw them turn the tables on India in their previous outing.
From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025
Alisha was ready to throw in the towel, but Bonnie wanted to go for high tea at the Plaza Hotel.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
