cast-off

1 of 2

adjective

ˈkast-ˌȯf 

: thrown away or aside

castoff noun

cast off

2 of 2

verb

cast off; casting off; casts off

transitive verb

1

: loose

cast off a hunting dog

2

: unfasten

cast off a boat

3

: to remove (a stitch) from a knitting needle in such a way as to prevent unraveling

intransitive verb

1

: to unfasten or untie a boat or a line

2

: to turn one's partner in a square dance and pass around the outside of the set and back

3

: to finish a knitted fabric by casting off all stitches

Examples of cast-off in a Sentence

Verb

once she became rich and didn't need them anymore, she cast off all her old friends like so much junk

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Russia tops the chart of cast-off rockets at this altitude, with 512 uncontrolled spacecraft that could ultimately threaten robotic and human explorers across low Earth orbit. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

Weisman had landed on the floor and was flat on his back amid an upturned ashtray, a cast-off tablecloth and a clutter of broken crystal. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024

Verb

To understand what has been happening at St James’ Park this summer, first cast off all notions of Newcastle United being among the richest or most ambitious clubs in world football and instead think of them as the smallest, at least in terms of intimacy. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 23 July 2024

The world has a 186-billion-pound problem on its hands—that being how many pounds of textiles are cast off each year, with less than 1 percent recycled. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

cast-off

adjective

ˈkas-ˌtȯf

: thrown away or aside

cast-off clothes

castoff noun