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Glite Dictionary
to deep six

to deep six

3 8.6
To get rid of something permanently
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: deshacerse de
  • In the meeting, they agreed to deep six any discussions about the failed strategy.

Those the agencies that regulated those industries have been deep sixed gone, completely gone.

Examples

  • Let me deep six this.

    Marlowe (2023)

  • I say we deep six the heads.

    Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987)

  • So, let's deep six that right now.

    Blog text (11)

  • I just deep sixed two heads.

    Tough Guys Don't Dance (1987)

  • Those the agencies that regulated those industries have been deep sixed gone, completely gone.

    ReasonTV

  • I'll deep-six the bills, sweetie-pie, she says.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The team decided to deep six the outdated project to focus on more promising ideas.

  • After the scandal, the company chose to deep six the flawed product line completely.

Synonyms

to dump
vsto deep six
688 2.6

To drop or throw things away in a careless way

is deliberate and planned disposal rather than careless abrupt dumping
to throw away
vsto deep six
563 1.8

To get rid of something you do not want, for example by putting it in the bin

implies a more deliberate or final abandonment than routine discarding
to throw out
vsto deep six
361 1.8

To put something in the trash because you do not want it

is more about intentional permanent disposal rather than casual removal
to dispose
vsto deep six
153 3.4

Get rid of something by throwing it away, selling it, or giving it to someone

stresses deliberate permanent abandonment more than routine rehoming
to dispose of
vsto deep six
143 4.1

Deal with and finish a problem or task so it no longer causes trouble

centers on deliberate permanent abandonment of an object rather than solving issues
to discard
vsto deep six
100 2.7

To throw something away because you no longer want or need it

carries stronger sense of deliberate permanent abandonment than simple throwing away
to scrap
vsto deep six
67 3.7

To throw away something that is no longer useful

focuses more on permanent deliberate abandonment than on recycling parts
to toss out
vsto deep six
67 2.7

To throw away things you do not want

adds a sense of permanence and intention beyond quick informal removal
to junk
vsto deep six
14 3.0

To throw away things that are no longer useful

emphasizes intentional abandonment as a central point rather than simple uselessness
to trash
vsto deep six
  • US
13 1.0

To throw away something you no longer want

leans more toward deliberate permanent disposal than ordinary throwing away
to toss away
vsto deep six
11 2.0

To throw something away because you no longer want or need it

suggests a firmer, more deliberate final abandonment than mere discarding
to chuck out
vsto deep six
  • UK
4 3.7

To throw away things you do not want

is more about final deliberate abandonment rather than informal ejection
to give it the deep six
vsto deep six
  • Informal
9.9

To throw something away and stop using it

focuses on deliberate permanent abandonment rather than casual removal

Antonyms

to keep
∞ 1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

to preserve
504 3.4

To keep people and things safe from harm or change

Surface Forms

deep six infinitive
deep sixed past
deep sixed past participle
deep sixing present participle
deep sixes third person singular

Morphology

deep + six

The sense 'to dispose of or discard' is not derivable from the literal meanings of 'deep' (extreme in depth) and 'six' (the numeral); there is no transparent compositional relation tying those constituents to discarding. This is an idiomatic, likely historical/jargon usage where the numeral has no predictable semantic role, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrase deep six may come from old sailors who threw things they wanted to hide into deep water, and the number six was used to mean a very deep spot. That's why to deep six something now means 'to get rid of' or 'to discard'.