🚮 To get rid of 🧶 To finish knitting

to cast off

1 8.2

To finish the last row of knitting so the stitches do not come undone

phrasal verb
/kæst ɔf/

Jargon

: cerrar

To prevent the edge from unraveling, you must cast off the final row of your knitted sweater.

Examples

When you are ready to end your knitting, remember to cast off the stitches neatly.
Cast off!

Show Boat (1951)
Prepare to cast off!

Black Eagle (1988)
Prepare to cast off!

Black Eagle (1988)
Prepare to cast off!

Black Eagle (1988)
After finishing the last row of stitches on her scarf, she was excited to cast off the project.

Synonyms

to bind off

vsto cast off

Jargon

7.8

To finish a row of knitting by securing stitches so they do not come undone

is the same action but uses an alternative common knitting term

Antonyms

to start

∞ 1.0

To begin an action, event or process

to cast on

Jargon

1 6.9

To make the first row of stitches on a needle when you start knitting

Surface Forms

cast off infinitive

cast off past

cast off past participle

casting off present participle

casts off third person singular

Morphology

cast + off

The meaning 'to remove or get rid of' is directly and compositionally derived from 'cast' (to take off or get rid of) combined with the particle 'off' (indicating removal). This verb+particle pattern is a common, transparent English construction and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Cast off comes from knitting. Knitters move the last stitches off the needle so the fabric will not fall apart, so the phrase means 'to complete a piece of knitting by finishing the final row of stitches'.