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to throw together

to throw together

22 3.5
Make something quickly without much care or planning
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : preparar deprisa
  • Oh, it was just sort of thrown together.

Yeah, take all that material stuff and throw it all together.

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Examples

  • Now they are just trying to throw together whatever they can and rush out a movie.

    Blog text (21)
  • Just a little something I threw together.

  • Yeah, she said she could throw her stuff together... and be out of here in a few minutes.

  • Oh, I'll throw something together here.

  • I just threw it together.

  • Anyone can format a Word document and throw together a few bullet points regarding their career experience.

    Blog text (3)
  • All of this is inspiring because it proves that anyone can throw something together.

    Blog text (28)
  • I threw together an enhancement programme, and it's almost done.

  • My friend Fearless Jones helped me throw together some pine shelving, and I was in business.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • With just a few ingredients, you can throw together a quick salad for lunch.

Synonyms

to build
vsto throw together
1.0

To make something by joining parts or materials

is usually about quick careless making rather than careful construction
to put together
vsto throw together
988 2.8

To make something by joining parts, like a model, plan or team

focuses on quick unplanned creation rather than general careful making
to assemble
vsto throw together
169 2.9

To put parts together to make something like a machine or toy

is more about quick unplanned making rather than planned organization
to cobble
vsto throw together
  • Informal
21 5.3

To put things together quickly and roughly using what is available

is more about rough quick fixes than careful planned construction
to cobble together
vsto throw together
  • Informal
16 5.2

Make something quickly and roughly from things you have

is similar but highlights rough use of spare parts rather than careful planning
to slap together
vsto throw together
  • Informal
3 6.0

Make something quickly without caring about details

is used for fast unplanned construction rather than careful finishing
to toss together
vsto throw together
  • Informal
2 3.4

Mix a few ingredients quickly without much preparation

is used more broadly than mixing, covering quick unplanned making
to knock together
vsto throw together
  • UK
1 4.9

Make something quickly that will not last long

is about rapid makeshift creation rather than careful planned build
to scratch together
vsto throw together
  • Informal
1 6.5

To gather small amounts of money, food, or a few people with difficulty to do something

is more about scraping resources in a rush than planned creation
to clap up
vsto throw together
  • UK
9.8

To put something together quickly and without care

is more about speed and lack of planning than careful result
to clap together
vsto throw together
  • UK
6.8

To make something quickly and without care using what you have

is similar but focuses on rapid unplanned work rather than careful making
to fudge together
vsto throw together
  • Informal
7.4

Make something quickly and carelessly using what you have

is more about quick sloppy work rather than planned careful work
to cobble up
vsto throw together
  • Informal
8.2

To make something quickly and roughly using what is available

focuses on rapid rough work rather than planned careful work
to tack together
vsto throw together
4.7

To join parts quickly in a careless, temporary way

is used for quick loose joins that are not meant to last
to scrunge together
vsto throw together
  • Slang
9.1

To get a small amount of something quickly with little money or time

emphasizes fast gathering using few resources rather than careful planning

Antonyms

201 3.5

To build something by joining parts or materials

How Careful

to map out
  • Informal
34 3.7
to construct
201 3.5
to assemble
169 2.9
to put together
988 2.8
to throw together
  • Informal
22 3.5

Surface Forms

throw together infinitive
throwing together present participle
throws together third person singular
thrown together past participle

Morphology

throw + together

The sense of combining or assembling is recoverable from 'throw' (extended to mean put/arrange) plus 'together' (in combination), so a learner who knows the constituents can partly infer that items are being brought together. However, the specific pragmatic nuance of doing this quickly and without much care is a metaphorical/usage-driven extension and not fully predictable from the literal meanings—learners may not reliably infer the haste/carelessness aspect without exposure.

Etymology

Throw together: The phrasal verb throw together comes from the simple image of literally tossing items into a bowl or pile when you are in a hurry. You throw items together quickly without care, so it means 'to make or assemble something quickly and without much care'.