throwaway
Americanadjective
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made or intended to be discarded after use or quick examination.
a throwaway container;
a throwaway brochure.
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delivered or expressed casually or extemporaneously.
a funny throwaway line that brings applause.
noun
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something that is made or intended to be discarded.
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a handbill, advertising circular, pamphlet, etc., intended to be discarded after reading.
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Also called pushout. Informal: Disparaging and Offensive. a youth who is unwanted or rejected by their family, the school system, or society in general.
adjective
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said or done incidentally, esp for rhetorical effect; casual
a throwaway remark
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anything designed to be discarded after use rather than reused, refilled, etc; disposable
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( as modifier )
a throwaway carton
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noun
verb
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to get rid of; discard
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to fail to make good use of; waste
to throw away all one's money on horses
Etymology
Origin of throwaway
First recorded in 1900–05; adjective, noun use of verb phrase throw away
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.
Originally pitched as a movie, the comeback is subdivided instead into 30-minute-long quarters, giving them a certain heft, whereas a “TV movie” might have felt like a throwaway, an afterthought.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
“Whether this is a serious policy threat or just another throwaway comment remains to be seen,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026
Suez called for a more ambitious plan to tackle the fire risk and environmental damage from cheap throwaway vapes, such as a nationwide recycling scheme paid for by producers.
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025
Series executive producer Brendan Hay told The Times in 2023 that setting “Secrets of the Mogwai” in 1920s China was “a chance to own the somewhat throwaway origin that the Mogwai have in the films.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
Other than a couple of junky things that I probably should have put in the throwaway pile, we sell it all.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
