verb Literary.
- a simple past tense and past participle of toss.
verb (used with object), tossed or (Literary) tost; toss·ing.
- to throw, pitch, or fling, especially to throw lightly or carelessly: to toss a piece of paper into the wastebasket.
- to throw or send from one to another, as in play: to toss a ball.
- to throw or pitch with irregular or careless motions; fling or jerk about: The ship was tossed by waves.
- to agitate, disturb, or disquiet.
- to throw, raise, or jerk upward suddenly: She tossed her head disdainfully.
- to speak or express in a sudden offhand manner; interject: He tossed jokes into their serious discussion.
- to throw (a coin) into the air in order to decide something by the side turned up when it falls (sometimes followed by up).
- to toss a coin with (someone).
- to stir or mix (a salad) lightly until the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
verb (used without object), tossed or (Literary) tost; toss·ing.
- to pitch, rock, sway, or move irregularly, as a ship on a rough sea or a flag or plumes in the breeze.
- to fling or jerk oneself or move restlessly about, especially on a bed or couch: to toss in one’s sleep.
- to throw something.
- to throw a coin into the air in order to decide something by the way it falls (sometimes followed by up).
- to go with a fling of the body: to toss out of a room in a fit of anger.
noun
- an act or instance of tossing.
- a pitching about or up and down.
- a throw or pitch.
- tossup(def 1).
- the distance to which something is or may be thrown.
- a sudden fling or jerk of the body, especially a quick upward or backward movement of the head.
Verb Phrases
- toss off,
- to accomplish quickly or easily.
- to consume rapidly, especially to drink something up in one swallow: He tossed off a cocktail before dinner.
- British Slang.to masturbate.
- toss up, Informal. to vomit.
- toss one’s cookies, Slang. cookie(def 7).
verb
- (tr) to throw lightly or with a flourish, esp with the palm of the hand upwards
- to fling or be flung about, esp constantly or regularly in an agitated or violent waya ship tosses in a storm
- to discuss or put forward for discussion in an informal way
- (tr) (of an animal such as a horse) to throw (its rider)
- (tr) (of an animal) to butt with the head or the horns and throw into the airthe bull tossed the matador
- (tr) to shake, agitate, or disturb
- to toss up a coin with (someone) in order to decide or allot somethingI’ll toss you for it; let’s toss for it
- (intr) to move away angrily or impatientlyshe tossed out of the room
noun
- an abrupt movement
- a rolling or pitching motion
- the act or an instance of tossing
- the act of tossing up a coinSee toss up (def. 1)
- a fall from a horse or other animal
- argue the toss to wrangle or dispute at length
- give a toss slang to be concerned or interested (esp in the phrase not give a toss)
c.1500, possibly from a Scandinavian source (cf. dialectal Norwegian tossa “to strew, spread”). Related: Tossed; tossing. Food preparation sense (with reference to salad, etc.) is recorded from 1723. The noun meaning “an act of throwing” is first recorded 1650s. Tosspot “heavy drinker” is from 1560s. Toss-up “even matter” first recorded 1809, from earlier sense of “a flipping of a coin to arrive at a decision” (c.1700). Tosser as a term of contempt in British slang is recorded from 1977, probably from slang toss off “masturbate” (1969); cf. jerk (n.).
In addition to the idioms beginning with toss
- toss off
- toss one’s cookies
also see:
- throw away (toss out)
- throw (toss) one’s hat in the ring