throw out

verb

threw out; thrown out; throwing out; throws out

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove from a place, office, or employment usually in a sudden or unexpected manner

b

: to get rid of as worthless or unnecessary

2

: to give expression to : utter

threw out a remark … that utterly confounded him

—Jean Stafford

3

: to dismiss from acceptance or consideration : reject

the testimony was thrown out

4

: to make visible or manifest : display

the signal was thrown out for the … fleet to prepare for action

—Archibald Duncan

5

: to leave behind : outdistance

6

: to give forth from within : emit

7

a

: to send out

b

: to cause to project : extend

8

: confuse, disconcert

automobiles in line blocking the road … threw the whole schedule out

—F. D. Roosevelt

9

: to cause to stand out : make prominent

10

: to make a throw that enables a teammate to put out (a base runner)

Phrases

throw out the baby with the bathwater

: to discard or lose something useful or beneficial in the process of discarding or rejecting something unwanted

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• expel
• extrude
• kick out
• oust
• out
• rout
• run off
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Examples of throw out in a Sentence

the player was thrown out of the game after assaulting the ref

would you mind if I threw out that leftover pizza that's been in the fridge for two weeks?

Recent Examples on the Web

The comments prompted backlash from Trump opponents on social media, with some users posting about burning or throwing out their New Balance sneakers and others threatening boycotts. —Ayesha Javed, TIME, 3 Nov. 2024

Here’s the kicker: Caudalie founder Mathilde Thomas discovered that the vineyard’s leftover grapes and stalks – which remained after distilling, and which were typically thrown out and wasted – contain powerful polyphenols, a facial anti-aging, antioxidant compound found in grapes and grapevines. —Debbi Kickham, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Hideki Matsui, the 2009 World Series MVP, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 5. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024

Darling’s first draft, completed on a piece of cardboard, has been lost to history—likely thrown out after printers made the first copy, reports the New York Times’ James Barron. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

throw out

verb

1

: to reject or get rid of as worthless or unnecessary : throw away

2

: to remove from a place, position, or participation