throw off









throw off


verb (used with object), threw, thrown, throw·ing.

  1. to propel or cast in any way, especially to project or propel from the hand by a sudden forward motion or straightening of the arm and wrist: to throw a ball.
  2. to hurl or project (a missile), as a gun does.
  3. to project or cast (light, a shadow, etc.).
  4. to project (the voice).
  5. to make it appear that one’s voice is coming from a place different from its source, as in ventriloquism.
  6. to direct or send forth (words, a glance, etc.).
  7. to put or cause to go or come into some place, position, condition, etc., as if by hurling: to throw someone into prison; to throw a bridge across a river; to throw troops into action.
  8. to put on, off, or away hastily: to throw a shawl over one’s shoulders.
  9. Machinery.
    1. to move (a lever or the like) in order to activate, turn on, disconnect, etc., an apparatus or mechanism: to throw the switch.
    2. to connect, engage, disconnect, or disengage by such a procedure: to throw the current.
  10. to shape on a potter’s wheel: to throw a vase.
  11. to bring to bear or invest: Throw all your energy into your work. The FBI threw every available agent into the case.
  12. to deliver a blow or punch: He threw a hard left jab to his opponent’s chin.
  13. to cause to fall to the ground, especially to hurl to the ground, as an opponent in wrestling.
  14. Cards. to play (a card).
  15. to lose (a game, race, or other contest) intentionally, as for a bribe.
  16. to cast (dice).
  17. to make (a cast) at dice: She threw two sixes.
  18. (of an animal, as a horse) to cause (someone) to fall off; unseat: The horse threw his rider twice.
  19. to give or host: They threw a lavish party celebrating his 80th birthday.
  20. (of domestic animals) to bring forth (young).
  21. Textiles. to twist (filaments) without attenuation in the production of yarn or thread.
  22. Informal. to overcome with astonishment or confusion; amaze, disconcert, or confuse: It was her falsetto voice on top of it all that really threw me.
  23. to turn on a lathe.

verb (used without object), threw, thrown, throw·ing.

  1. to cast, fling, or hurl a missile or the like.

noun

  1. an act or instance of throwing or casting; cast; fling.
  2. the distance to which anything is or may be thrown: a stone’s throw.
  3. Informal. a venture or chance: It was his last throw.
  4. Machinery.
    1. the distance between the center of a crankshaft and the center of the crankpins, equal to one half of the piston stroke.
    2. the distance between the center of a crankshaft and the center of an eccentric.
    3. the movement of a reciprocating part in one direction.
  5. (in a motion-picture theater) the distance between the projector and the screen.
  6. (in an auditorium or the like) the distance between a loudspeaker and the audience.
  7. the length of a beam of light: a spotlight with a throw of 500 feet.
  8. a scarf, boa, shawl, or the like.
  9. Theater.
    1. the distance to which a spotlight can be projected.
    2. the area illuminated by a spotlight.
  10. a light blanket, as for use when reclining on a sofa; afghan.
  11. a cast of dice.
  12. the number thrown with a pair of dice.
  13. Wrestling. the act, method, or an instance of throwing an opponent.
  14. Geology, Mining. the amount of vertical displacement produced by a fault.

Verb Phrases

  1. throw away,
    1. to dispose of; discard.
    2. to employ wastefully; squander.
    3. to fail to use; miss (a chance, opportunity, etc.): He threw away a college education and a professional career.
  2. throw back,
    1. to retard the development or advancement of: His illness threw him back a year at school.
    2. to force into dependence upon or necessary use of.
    3. to return to; hark back.
    4. to revert to a type found in one’s ancestry; manifest atavism: Her red hair and blue eyes throw back to her great-grandmother.
  3. throw in, Informal.
    1. to add as a bonus or gratuity: They throw in breakfast with the room.
    2. to bring into (a discussion, plan, etc.) as an addition; interject: The president threw in an amusing anecdote to relieve the tension.
    3. Cards.to abandon (a hand).
  4. throw off,
    1. to free oneself of; cast aside: to throw off the wet poncho; to throw off the yoke of slavery.
    2. to escape from or delay, as a pursuer.
    3. to give off; discharge.
    4. to perform or produce with ease: The entertainer threw off a few songs and jokes to begin the show.
    5. to confuse; fluster: Thrown off by jeers, she forgot her lines.
    6. Australian Slang.to criticize or ridicule (usually followed by at).
  5. throw out,
    1. to cast away; remove; discard.
    2. to bring up for consideration; propose: The committee threw out a few suggestions.
    3. to put out of mind; reject: We can throw out that scheme.
    4. Baseball.to cause to be out by throwing the ball to a fielder, especially an infielder, in time to prevent a batter or runner from reaching base safely: The shortstop backhanded the ball and threw the batter out at first.
    5. to eject from a place, especially forcibly: He started making a disturbance so the bartenders threw him out.
    6. to expel, as from membership in a club.
  6. throw over, to forsake; abandon: She threw over her first husband for another man.
  7. throw together,
    1. to make in a hurried and haphazard manner.
    2. to cause to associate: Many nationalities have been thrown together in the American melting pot.
  8. throw up,
    1. to give up; relinquish.
    2. to build hastily.
    3. to vomit.
    4. to point out, as an error; criticize.
    5. (of a hawk) to fly suddenly upward.

Idioms

  1. a throw, Informal. each: He ordered four suits at $300 a throw.
  2. throw cold water on. cold(def 31).
  3. throw down the gauntlet/glove. gauntlet1(def 5).
  4. throw in the sponge. sponge(def 11).
  5. throw in the towel. towel(def 3).
  6. throw oneself at (someone)/(someone’s head), to strive to attract the interest or attention of, especially in order to win the love or admiration of: Don’t expect me to throw myself at you.
  7. throw oneself into, to engage in with energy or enthusiasm: She threw herself into learning the new routines.
  8. throw oneself on/upon (someone), to commit oneself to another’s mercy, generosity, support, etc.; trust in: The members of his wife’s family have all thrown themselves on him.
  9. throw out the baby with the bathwater. bathwater(def 2).
  10. throw the bull. bull3(def 2).
  11. throw (someone or something) to the wolves/dogs, to place or leave (a person or thing) in a bad situation with no assistance, especially in order to protect oneself: During the scandal, employees felt they had been thrown to the wolves by their employer.Also throw under the bus.

verb (mainly tr, adverb)

  1. to free oneself of; discard
  2. to produce or utter in a casual mannerto throw off a witty remark
  3. to escape from or eludethe fox rapidly threw off his pursuers
  4. to confuse or disconcertthe interruption threw the young pianist off
  5. (intr, often foll by at) Australian and NZ informal to deride or ridicule

verb throws, throwing, threw or thrown (mainly tr)

  1. (also intr) to project or cast (something) through the air, esp with a rapid motion of the arm and wrist
  2. (foll by in, on, onto, etc) to put or move suddenly, carelessly, or violentlyshe threw her clothes onto the bed
  3. to bring to or cause to be in a specified state or condition, esp suddenly or unexpectedlythe news threw the family into a panic
  4. to direct or cast (a shadow, light, etc)
  5. to project (the voice) so as to make it appear to come from other than its source
  6. to give or hold (a party)
  7. to cause to fall or be upset; dislodgethe horse soon threw his rider
    1. to tip (dice) out onto a flat surface
    2. to obtain (a specified number) in this way
  8. to shape (clay) on a potter’s wheel
  9. to move (a switch or lever) to engage or disengage a mechanism
  10. to be subjected to (a fit)
  11. to turn (wood, etc) on a lathe
  12. informal to baffle or astonish; confusethe last question on the test paper threw me
  13. boxing to deliver (a punch)
  14. wrestling to hurl (an opponent) to the ground
  15. informal to lose (a contest, fight, etc) deliberately, esp in boxing
    1. to play (a card)
    2. to discard (a card)
  16. (of a female animal, esp a cow) to give birth to (young)
  17. to twist or spin (filaments) into thread
  18. throw cold water on something informal to be unenthusiastic about or discourage something
  19. throw oneself at to strive actively to attract the attention or affection of
  20. throw oneself into to involve oneself enthusiastically in
  21. throw oneself on to rely entirely uponhe threw himself on the mercy of the police

noun

  1. the act or an instance of throwing
  2. the distance or extent over which anything may be throwna stone’s throw
  3. informal a chance, venture, or try
  4. an act or result of throwing dice
    1. the eccentricity of a cam
    2. the radial distance between the central axis of a crankshaft and the axis of a crankpin forming part of the shaft
  5. a decorative light blanket or cover, as thrown over a chair
  6. a sheet of fabric used for draping over an easel or unfinished painting, etc, to keep the dust off
  7. geology the vertical displacement of rock strata at a fault
  8. physics the deflection of a measuring instrument as a result of a sudden fluctuation

v.“to project, propel,” c.1300, from Old English þrawan “to twist, turn writhe” (past tense þreow, past participle þrawen), from Proto-Germanic *thræ- (cf. Old Saxon thraian, Middle Dutch dræyen, Dutch draaien, Old High German draen, German drehen “to turn, twist;” not found in Scandinavian or Gothic), from PIE *tere- “to rub, turn, rub by turning, bore” (cf. Sanskrit turah “wounded, hurt,” Greek teirein “to rub, rub away,” Latin terere “to rub, thresh, grind, wear away,” Old Church Slavonic tiro “to rub,” Lithuanian trinu “to rub,” Old Irish tarathar “borer,” Welsh taraw “to strike”). Not the usual Old English word for “to throw” (weorpan, related to warp (v.) was common in this sense). The sense evolution may be via the notion of whirling a missile before throwing it. The sense of “put by force” (e.g. throw in jail) is first recorded 1560; that of “to confuse, flabbergast” is from 1844; that of “lose deliberately” is from 1868. To throw the book at (someone) is 1932, from notion of judge sentencing a criminal from a law book full of possible punishments. To throw (one’s) hat in the ring “issue a challenge,” especially to announce one’s candidacy, first recorded 1917. To throw up “vomit” is first recorded 1732. n.“act of throwing,” 1520s, from throw (v.). Wrestling sense is first attested 1819. 1Cast out, rid oneself of, as in He threw off all unpleasant memories and went to the reunion. [Early 1600s] 2Give off, emit, as in The garbage was throwing off an awful smell. [First half of 1700s] Also see throw out, def. 1. 3Also, throw or put off the scent. Distract, divert, or mislead, as in A mistaken estimate threw off her calculations, or These clues were designed to throw the detective off the scent. The variant comes from hunting, where the quarry may try to put pursuing hounds off the scent. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s. Also see off the track. 4Perform in a quick, spontaneous, or casual manner, as in He threw off one sketch after another. [Mid-1700s] In addition to the idioms beginning with throw

  • throw a curve
  • throw a fit
  • throw a monkey wrench into
  • throw a party
  • throw a punch
  • throw away
  • throw back
  • throw caution to the winds
  • throw cold water on
  • throw down the gauntlet
  • throw dust in someone’s eyes
  • throw for a loop
  • throw good money after bad
  • throw in
  • throw in one’s hand
  • throw in one’s lot with
  • throw in someone’s face
  • throw in the sponge
  • throw light on
  • throw off
  • throw off balance
  • throw off the track
  • throw oneself at
  • throw oneself into
  • throw one’s hat in the ring
  • throw one’s weight around
  • throw open
  • throw out
  • throw out the baby with the bath water
  • throw over
  • throw someone
  • throw the book at
  • throw together
  • throw to the wolves
  • throw up
  • throw up one’s hands
  • throw up to
  • also see:

  • cast (throw) one’s lot with
  • cast (throw) the first stone
  • have (throw) a fit
  • (throw) in one’s face
  • knock (throw) for a loop
  • pour (throw) cold water on
  • shed (throw) light on
  • stone’s throw
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