toss

American  

[taws, tos] / tɔs, tɒs /

verb (used with object)

• tosses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tossed,
  past participle,  past
• tost,
  past participle,  past
• tossing
  present participle

1. to throw, pitch, or fling, especially to throw lightly or carelessly.

   to toss a piece of paper into the wastebasket.

2. to throw or send from one to another, as in play.

   to toss a ball.

3. to throw or pitch with irregular or careless motions; fling or jerk about.

   The ship was tossed by waves.

4. to agitate, disturb, or disquiet.

5. to throw, raise, or jerk upward suddenly.

   She tossed her head disdainfully.

6. to speak or express in a sudden offhand manner; interject.

   He tossed jokes into their serious discussion.

7. to throw (a coin) into the air in order to decide something by the side turned up when it falls (sometimes followed byup ).

8. to toss a coin with (someone).

9. to stir or mix (a salad) lightly until the ingredients are coated with the dressing.

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verb (used without object)

• tosses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tossed,
  past participle,  past
• tost,
  past participle,  past
• tossing
  present participle

1. to pitch, rock, sway, or move irregularly, as a ship on a rough sea or a flag or plumes in the breeze.

2. to fling or jerk oneself or move restlessly about, especially on a bed or couch.

   to toss in one's sleep.

3. to throw something.

4. to throw a coin into the air in order to decide something by the way it falls (sometimes followed byup ).

5. to go with a fling of the body.

   to toss out of a room in a fit of anger.

noun

• tosses
  plural

1. an act or instance of tossing.

2. a pitching about or up and down.

3. a throw or pitch.

4. tossup.

5. the distance to which something is or may be thrown.

6. a sudden fling or jerk of the body, especially a quick upward or backward movement of the head.

verb phrase

1. toss up to vomit.

2. toss off

   1. to accomplish quickly or easily.

   2. to consume rapidly, especially to drink something up in one swallow.

      He tossed off a cocktail before dinner.

   3. British Slang. to masturbate.

idioms

1. toss one's cookies, cookie.

2. toss one's hat in the ring. hat.

toss British  

/ tɒs /

verb

1. (tr) to throw lightly or with a flourish, esp with the palm of the hand upwards

2. to fling or be flung about, esp constantly or regularly in an agitated or violent way

   a ship tosses in a storm

3. to discuss or put forward for discussion in an informal way

4. (tr) (of an animal such as a horse) to throw (its rider)

5. (tr) (of an animal) to butt with the head or the horns and throw into the air

   the bull tossed the matador

6. (tr) to shake, agitate, or disturb

7. to toss up a coin with (someone) in order to decide or allot something

   I'll toss you for it

   let's toss for it

8. (intr) to move away angrily or impatiently

   she tossed out of the room

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noun

1. an abrupt movement

2. a rolling or pitching motion

3. the act or an instance of tossing

4. the act of tossing up a coin See toss up

5. a fall from a horse or other animal

6. to wrangle or dispute at length

7. slang to be concerned or interested (esp in the phrase not give a toss )

toss More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing toss

• throw (toss) one's hat in the ring
• throw away (toss out)

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Synonym Usage

See throw.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• tosser
  noun
• untossed
  adjective
• tossingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tosses
  plural

Participles

• tossing
  present
• tossed
  past
• tost
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• toss
  simple
• tosses
  simple
• have tossed
  perfect
• have tost
  perfect
• has tossed
  perfect
• has tost
  perfect
• am tossing
  progressive
• are tossing
  progressive
• is tossing
  progressive
• have been tossing
  perfect progressive
• has been tossing
  perfect progressive

Past

• tossed
  simple
• tost
  simple
• had tossed
  perfect
• had tost
  perfect
• was tossing
  progressive
• were tossing
  progressive
• had been tossing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will toss
  simple
• will have tossed
  perfect
• will have tost
  perfect
• will be tossing
  progressive
• will have been tossing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of toss

First recorded in 1595–1605; origin uncertain

Explanation

When you lightly throw something, you toss it. You might toss your lifejacket and backpack into a canoe before climbing in with the paddles. You can toss a baseball to your friend in the backyard, or toss your trash in a wastebasket when you're finished with lunch. You can also toss a coin or toss a salad. Another way to toss is to move back and forth — or thrash — like an insomniac in bed or a boat on a stormy ocean.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

toss tosses tossed tost tossing

Root won the toss, pounced on the opportunity to bowl first and Robinson set the tone by pinning Azan Awais leg before with the first ball of the match.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Add the drained pasta and a splash of reserved pasta water and toss to combine.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

In a clip on his personal TikTok, Burnham, thanks to clever editing, appears to toss up a mortarboard hat and catch a builder's helmet, as he promotes technical education.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

And Ohtani has progressed to long toss, although manager Dave Roberts said he’s not sure when he’ll move to throwing bullpens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

I manage to take a few sips without slowing down and then toss the bottle back to him.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

Tom and Evan greet a new day by looking out at the bay, and the mayor tosses that telltale brooch into the water.

From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026

Displaying as always her couture hauteur, Miranda, who doesn’t even remember Andy from her long-ago gig, tosses the former assistant in a terrible office and tells her she will inevitably fail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

Taiwan has spent a whirlwind 15 months trying to win over the most unpredictable American leader in living memory as he tosses aside decades of precedent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

To help a shivering Cathy, Heathcliff rises from his wooden seat, smashes it on the floor and tosses the pieces into the fireplace.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026

Al drains his glass and tosses it to the nearest member of his entourage, who drops it into a jacket pocket and follows Al from the tent.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Four plays later, Simpson tossed a short pass to Dean Connors, who ran into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown and a 13-9 lead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Then comes the sound, clams tossed in hot pans, cleavers pounding roast pork, a Cantonese rock ballad barely rising above the crowd.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

Then I tossed them in a bag and set them at the bottom of the stoop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

The brand emphasizes that its pieces are meant to last even with heavy use and not just be tossed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Jonathan tossed the driftwood again and Moose plunged after it.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

As Gammer Gurton, with manye a wyde styche, Sat pesynge and patching of Hodg her mans briche, By chance or misfortune, as shee her geare tost, In Hodge lether bryches her needle shee lost.

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Raymond MacDonald Alden

On life's billow tost, The sport of changeful tide, we're well-nigh lost, And, like a frail boat on a stormy sea, We waver up and down uncertainly.

From The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume II (of 2) by Richard Crashaw

We tost off a Bottle of honest Port, which we relisht with a broil’d Chicken.

From Patrick Henry by Moses Coit Tyler

The restless Soul 'midst Life's vain Tumults tost, Forgets her Woes, and ev'ry Care is lost.

From Benjamin Franklin Representative selections, with introduction, bibliograpy, and notes by Chester E. Jorgenson

The grave Bavarian, midst his half year’s frost, Delights to keep thy ruby fins awake; And as in traffic’s maze his fancy’s tost, Light skims the icy surface of the lake.

From Nicotiana Or The Smoker's and Snuff-Taker's Companion by Henry James Meller

“It’s like they’re tossing a ball to each other back and forth,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

“The idea that tossing the desires of Pearl’s family into the ashcan is ‘just what journalists do’ is only a cover for indiscriminate National Enquirer logic,” he said in a June 2002 column.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

Soccer’s velvety, polarizing honcho had the planet begrudgingly tossing confetti at his custom Stan Smiths.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

That includes her niece who has cleared the entire fridge of any produce, tossing it all into the rubbish, including what Michelle saw as a perfectly good watermelon.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

He loved the snow: pouncing on it and tossing lumps of ice high in the air, then skidding to a halt to listen to lemmings and snowvoles burrowing under the surface.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver