throw out
Britishverb
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to discard or reject
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to expel or dismiss, esp forcibly
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to construct (something projecting or prominent, such as a wing of a building)
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to put forward or offer
the chairman threw out a new proposal
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to utter in a casual or indirect manner
to throw out a hint
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to confuse or disconcert
the noise threw his concentration out
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to give off or emit
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cricket (of a fielder) to put (the batsman) out by throwing the ball to hit the wicket
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baseball to make a throw to a teammate who in turn puts out (a base runner)
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Give off, emit, as in That flashlight throws out a powerful beam . [Mid-1700s] Also see throw off , def. 2.
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Reject, as in We threw out her proposal . [Early 1600s]
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Get rid of, discard; see throw away , def. 1.
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Offer a suggestion or plan, as in The nominating committee threw out names for our consideration . [Early 1600s] Also see throw away , def. 3.
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Forcibly eject, force the departure of, as in The bartender threw out the drunk , or He was thrown out of the country club for failing to pay his dues . [Early 1500s]
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Put out of alignment, as in Lifting that sofa threw out my back .
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In baseball or cricket, put a player out by throwing the ball. In baseball, the throw is to a base before the batter reaches it; in cricket, the throw must hit the batsman's wicket. [Second half of 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.
When she finished the drink, she couldn’t find anywhere to throw out the plastic cup.
Xi threw out that system, overhauling the military’s command structure to centralize control in his own hands and overcome a lack of coordination between various armed services.
Eddie’s parents throw out handfuls of petals, and they drift and spin away from us on the breeze.
From Literature
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She threw out her hands, grasping desperately for the railing, and found it.
From Literature
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If I sold that one, just think: I could buy more wire, maybe better hinges than the ones we pulled out of a set of cabinets someone was just throwing out last weekend...
From Literature
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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.