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to toss out

to toss out

39 2.7
To throw away things you do not want
  • phrasal verb
  • /tɔs aʊt/
translation icon : tirar
  • The bouncers drag Stanley through the crowd and unceremoniously toss him out into the rain-slick street.

Once one thing goes, you start reconciling yourself with tossing out lots of things.

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Examples

  • She realized she had too many clothes and began to toss out items that didn't fit her style anymore.

  • Once one thing goes, you start reconciling yourself with tossing out lots of things.

  • But the first day he got home, he just tossed them out.

  • I thought it was such a waste just to toss them out.

  • I pulled the rock that guy had given her off her finger and tossed it out the car window.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Two pace back and forth, smoking cigarettes as they toss out ideas.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • So whenever anybody finds something interesting in their attic or the woods or anything, instead of tossing out, they just give it to me.

  • A gym bag is tossed out into a garbage dumpster below the window.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • When you work the door, greet the visitors and toss out the troublemakers.

  • Yeah, the land is so rich out here, all you gotta do is toss out a handful of seeds and up pops a corn patch 10 feet tall.

Synonyms

to get rid of
vsto toss out
1.6

To remove or throw away something you do not want

is a casual phrase focusing on a light, quick discarding action
to dump
vsto toss out
541 2.6

To drop or throw things away in a careless way

is used more for careless or abrupt disposal than neutral removal
to throw away
vsto toss out
477 1.8

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

is a more casual, light action for removing items
to toss
vsto toss out
348 1.0

To throw something lightly to another person

is specifically about casual discarding rather than light throwing alone
to ditch
vsto toss out
  • Informal
234 4.4

To abandon a person, plan, or thing suddenly

implies sudden abandonment rather than simple routine disposal
to throw out
vsto toss out
202 1.8

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

is used more casually and often suggests a quick physical gesture
to dispose
vsto toss out
149 3.4

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

is more casual, usually implying a light physical action to remove items
to shed
vsto toss out
131 3.5

To get rid of something you do not need

is often used for natural or gradual loss, not only active discarding
to discard
vsto toss out
130 2.7

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

is more informal and suggests a lighter physical motion when removing items
to trash
vsto toss out
  • US
34 1.0

To throw away something you no longer want

is an informal word often used for ordinary household discarding
to cast out
vsto toss out
31 6.2

Force someone to leave a group or place because others reject them

focuses on exclusion or expulsion more than mere removal of objects
to scrap
vsto toss out
30 3.7

To throw away something that is no longer useful

is similar but often implies breaking up rather than simple removal
to jettison
vsto toss out
29 7.8

Throw things from a ship or plane to make it lighter

is specific to vehicles and narrower than general household discarding
to junk
vsto toss out
13 3.0

To throw away things that are no longer useful

is a casual term implying the item is worthless before removal
to cast aside
vsto toss out
  • Informal
11 3.7

Reject or ignore people and things you no longer want

emphasizes rejection or loss of importance more than mere removal
to kick to the curb
vsto toss out
  • Informal
7 8.6

Get rid of someone or something you no longer want

is more about casual, physical disposal than social rejection
to toss away
vsto toss out
5 2.0

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

is a casual phrase implying a light or careless action
to cast away
vsto toss out
4 4.1

To throw away things you no longer want

is a more literary or old-fashioned way to describe removal
to chuck out
vsto toss out
  • UK
1 3.7

To throw away things you do not want

is more informal and suggests a quick, casual disposal
to throw overboard
vsto toss out
1 6.0

To reject or get rid of something no longer needed

is idiomatic with a nautical origin and implies decisive disposal
to slough off
vsto toss out
1 7.5

To get rid of something unwanted, for example a bad habit or a weak branch

is often more literal and physical removal rather than metaphorical shedding
to deep six
vsto toss out
  • Informal
1 8.6

To get rid of something permanently

is similar but is the casual, lighter phrasing for removal
to throw to the dogs
vsto toss out
  • Informal
1 9.1

To give up something important in a careless or disrespectful way

carries stronger sense of disrespect or loss of value than general removal
to give it the deep six
vsto toss out
  • Informal
9.9

To throw something away and stop using it

is a more casual, brief way to say the same permanent disposal

Antonyms

1.0

To store something for later use

How Permanent

to destroy
1.0
to toss out
39 2.7
to give away
233 2.0
to set aside
87 3.4
to put aside
24 2.4

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

toss + out

The meaning 'to throw away; discard' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'toss' (to throw casually) with the directional particle 'out' (away/from the interior). This verb+particle composition is a common, predictable phrasal-verb pattern in English (and mirrors similar constructions in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The verb toss out comes from the simple image of using toss, meaning a light throw, and out, meaning away or into the bin, to send something into the trash. So, it means 'to throw away' or 'to get rid of' something you no longer want.