cast-off

1 of 2

adjective

: thrown away or aside
castoff noun

cast off

2 of 2

verb

cast off; casting off; casts off

transitive verb

1
: loose
cast off a hunting dog
2
: unfasten
cast off a boat
3
: to remove (a stitch) from a knitting needle in such a way as to prevent unraveling

intransitive verb

1
: to unfasten or untie a boat or a line
2
: to turn one's partner in a square dance and pass around the outside of the set and back
3
: to finish a knitted fabric by casting off all stitches

Examples of cast-off in a Sentence

Verb once she became rich and didn't need them anymore, she cast off all her old friends like so much junk
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Russia tops the chart of cast-off rockets at this altitude, with 512 uncontrolled spacecraft that could ultimately threaten robotic and human explorers across low Earth orbit. Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024 Weisman had landed on the floor and was flat on his back amid an upturned ashtray, a cast-off tablecloth and a clutter of broken crystal. Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024
Verb
The gloom of the post-war years is slowly cast off and the hip neighbors have purchased a television set. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Oct. 2024 Still, the creators of Northern Ireland took no chances: Ulster traditionally had nine counties, but the unionist leaders decided to cast off three counties with large Catholic majorities, locking in a statelet with a seemingly insurmountable Protestant majority. Daniel Finn, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2019 See all Example Sentences for cast-off 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cast-off was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near cast-off

Cite this Entry

“Cast-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast-off. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cast-off

adjective
ˈkas-ˌtȯf
: thrown away or aside
cast-off clothes
castoff noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cast-off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!