throw.
To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.
Meaning & usage
To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.
throw a shoe; throw a javelin
To eject or cause to fall off.
the horse threw its rider
To move to another position or condition; to displace.
throw the switch
To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
To deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.
If the file is read-only, the method throws an invalid-operation exception.
To intentionally lose a game.
The tennis player was accused of taking bribes to throw the match.
(of a game where one’s role is throwing something) To perform in a specified way in (a match).
The pitcher threw a perfect game.
To confuse or mislead.
The deliberate red herring threw me at first.
To send hastily or desperately.
Their sergeant threw the troops into pitched battle.
To imprison.
The magistrate ordered the suspect to be thrown into jail.
To organize an event, especially a party.
She was known for throwing the craziest parties in college.
To roll (a die or dice).
To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
To discard.
To lift or unbalance one’s opponent and then bring him back down to the ground, especially into a position behind the thrower.
To change (one’s voice) in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else, or coming from a different place.
To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
To project or send forth.
To make a shape or gesture with the hands.
I threw scissors but she threw rock and beat me.
The teens were throwing gang signs.
To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
To prepare (a cocktail) by pouring liquid between shakers from a height.
The barman taught me how to throw a cocktail.
To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
To select (a pitcher); to assign a pitcher to a given role (such as starter or reliever).
To install (a bridge).
To twist or turn.
a thrown nail
Synonym of pass.
To deliver.
Of animals: to give birth to (young).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate with Scots thraw (“to twist, turn, throw”), West Frisian triuwe (“to push”), Dutch draaien (“to turn”), Low German draien, dreien (“to turn (in a lathe)”), German drehen (“to turn”). Displaced warp as the word for hurling and was displaced by warp as the word for twisting. The use in computing comes from the fact, that in programming languages a statement reporting an error interrupts normal processing and sends an error object up the function calling stack until a handling statement intercepts it. Thus an “object” is “thrown” and “flies” until it is “caught”.
The act of throwing something.
With an accurate throw, he lassoed the cow.
What a great throw by the quarterback!
A move in which one lifts or unbalances one’s opponent and then brings him down to the ground.
One’s ability to throw.
He’s always had a pretty decent throw.
The distance travelled by something thrown.
a stone's throw
The flight of a thrown object.
A distance travelled in general; displacement.
the throw of the piston
A piece of fabric used to cover a bed, sofa or other soft furnishing.
A single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance.
Football tickets are expensive at fifty bucks a throw.
Any of the projections integral to a crankshaft that receive or impart cranking motion from a connecting rod or similar component.
A hand-operated lathe, especially a small lathe used by clockmakers.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate with Scots thraw (“to twist, turn, throw”), West Frisian triuwe (“to push”), Dutch draaien (“to turn”), Low German draien, dreien (“to turn (in a lathe)”), German drehen (“to turn”). Displaced warp as the word for hurling and was displaced by warp as the word for twisting. The use in computing comes from the fact, that in programming languages a statement reporting an error interrupts normal processing and sends an error object up the function calling stack until a handling statement intercepts it. Thus an “object” is “thrown” and “flies” until it is “caught”.
A moment, time, occasion.
A period of time; a while.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English, from Old English þrāh, þrāg (“space of time, period, while”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þragjan, “to run”).
Obsolete spelling of throe.
Where this word comes from
See throe.
Obsolete spelling of throe.
Where this word comes from
See throe.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.