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 Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to throw out a district court ruling that required the government to reinstate probationary employees that were fired from six key agencies last month. —Sarah Whitmire, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025

Last month, the plaintiffs released a status report saying that the 17 states weren’t seeking to have Section 504 thrown out in its entirety. —Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Mar. 2025

Americans throw out about 40% of food annually – a waste of both money and natural resources. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Mar. 2025

Prosecutors charged Gates with possessing firearms but the case was thrown out last August, records show. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for throw out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

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