Meaning of “throw” in the English Dictionary

"throw" in British English

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uk /θrəʊ/ us /θroʊ/ threw, thrown

throw verb (SEND THROUGH AIR)

A2 [ I or T ] to send something through the air with force, especially by a sudden movement of the arm:

My friend threw the ball back over the fence.
The coat was thrown over the back of the chair.
She threw herself into a chair, exhausted.
The rider was thrown as the horse jumped the fence.
He threw a punch at (= hit) his attacker.
throw a glance/look

to look quickly or suddenly:

The boy threw a frightened look in the direction of the house.

More examples

throw verb (PARTY)

throw a party

to have a party:

Flavio threw a party for Colin's 50th birthday.

throw verb (SHAPE)

[ T ] specialized art to shape clay on a special round table that spins


uk /θrəʊ/ us /θroʊ/

throw noun (EACH)

a throw [ S ] UK informal

used to mean each thing or for each time:

We could get a coffee in there but they charge three quid a throw.

(Definition of “throw” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"throw" in American English

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us /θroʊ/ past tense threw /θru/ , past participle thrown /θroʊn/

throw verb (SEND THROUGH AIR)

[ I/T ] to send something through the air, esp. by a sudden movement of the arm:

[ T ] Throw me the ball./Throw the ball to me.
[ I ] I didn’t throw as well as I expected to.
[ T ] He was thrown from his motorcycle.

throw verb (MOVE QUICKLY)

[ T ] to move something quickly or with a lack of attention, or to cause someone or something to move quickly:

He threw the switch and the lights came on.
Suddenly, she grabbed the snake and threw it to the ground.
[ M ] They threw up their hands to protect themselves from the hail.
[ M ] He threw his head back and laughed.
[ M ] Throw a few peppers in the pot.

throw verb (CONFUSE)

[ T ] infml to confuse someone:

That question really threw me at first.

thrownoun [ C ]

us /θroʊ/

throw noun [ C ] (THROWING SOMETHING)

the act of throwing something, esp. a ball:

She timed her throw so the ball reached the base when he did.

(Definition of “throw” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

"throw" in Business English

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throwverb [ T ]

uk /θrəʊ/ us threw, thrown
throw the book at sb informal

to punish someone as severely as possible for breaking the law:

The US tax authorities threw the book at the European accountancy group over its tax-saving schemes.
throw good money after bad disapproving

to waste money by continuing to invest in something that has already cost a lot and is unlikely to be a success:

The government may be throwing good money after bad by using taxpayers' money to bail out the failing banks.
throw your hat into the ring

to announce that you want to compete for something, be considered for a job, etc.:

He is the sixth candidate to throw his hat into the ring for the top job in the organization.
throw your money around informal disapproving

to spend a lot of money, especially in a way that shows people you are not worried about money:

Despite the biggest recession in over a decade, city professionals still seem to have plenty of money to throw around.
throw money at sth disapproving

to try to solve a problem or make something successful by spending a lot of money, rather than, for example, having new ideas:

The government will have to throw money at any problems to ensure the site is built on time.
throw money down the drain UK US throw money down a rat hole

to waste money by spending it on something that will never be a success or make any profit:

Investors threw money down the drain by making regular contributions to the failed pension plan.
throw your weight around disapproving

to act in a way that emphasizes how much power or authority you have:

The board didn't like the way majority shareholders were throwing their weight around.
throw your weight behind sth

to use your power to support a project, an idea, etc.:

Senior politicians threw their weight behind the charity's campaign.

(Definition of “throw” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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