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

Ohio State in November simply wilted under the pressure of beating their archrival and, as the cliché says, the records can be thrown out when OSU and Michigan go up against each other. —Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025

Trump also ordered his Justice Department to take steps to throw out all pending indictments against Jan. 6 defendants whose cases have not yet been fully adjudicated — a decision that would shut down roughly 470 ongoing cases. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025

Bradshaw, the game’s MVP, completes 17 of 30 passes for 318 yards. 1990 — John McEnroe becomes the first player thrown out of the Australian Open. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2025

If power is out for more than a day, throw out any medication that requires refrigeration, the agency said. —Jenny Gross, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025

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