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Glite Dictionary
to toss back

to toss back

1 4.9
Move your head or hair quickly back
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɔs bæk/
translation icon : echar hacia atrás
  • Rich tossed back his head and laughed.
  • tossed back her hair
  • tossed back his head

Examples

  • "Millie tosses back her head."

    Fiction book (1999)

  • " She tossed back her long hair and gave him a blank look.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Catherine tossed back her lank hair.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • " Aino tossed back her braids and sighed."

    Fiction book (1996)

  • "How come?" I snapped, tossing back my head, flicking a Milk Dud into my mouth.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • At the mention of his name, he tossed back his wayward locks, revealing a brow so high and narrow it looked squeezed.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • "You going to invite me in or what?" He gave her one of his patented cocky grins and tossed back the shoulder-length blond hair from his angular face.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She tossed back her hair to get it out of her face before running.

  • With a graceful motion, he tossed back his head to see the stars better.

  • As the wind picked up, she tossed back her head, enjoying the breeze.

Synonyms

to throw
vsto toss back
∞ 1.0

To send something through the air by a quick movement of the arm

is specifically a quick backward motion often for head or hair
to move back
vsto toss back
283 1.7

To step away to an earlier place

is a swift light backward motion not a cautious retreat
to pull back
vsto toss back
162 3.4

To move yourself and things backward from a place, person, or situation

is a quick light backward motion rather than a slow deliberate retreat
to push back
vsto toss back
97 3.9

Force a person or thing to move backward in body and feeling

is a quick light backward jerk rather than a forceful shove or resistance
to sling
vsto toss back
41 3.9

To throw something with force or without care

is a lighter quick backward motion often used for hair or head
to throw back
vsto toss back
12 5.8

Move something quickly backward, like your head or a cup

focuses on hair or head movements rather than other objects

How Quick

to throw back
12 5.8
to toss back
1 4.9
to tilt
147 2.0
to turn back
11 2.6

Surface Forms

toss back infinitive
tossed back past
tossed back past participle
tossing back present participle
tosses back third person singular

Morphology

toss + back

The meaning 'to move something backward quickly and lightly' is directly derivable from 'toss' (to throw casually) combined with 'back' (toward the rear). This verb + particle composition matches common motion semantics found across languages and follows standard English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb toss back comes from a simple picture: toss means to throw something lightly and back means toward the rear. Imagine flicking your hair or throwing your head quickly backward — that's why toss back means 'to move something backward quickly', as when you toss your head or hair.