cast off; casting off; casts off
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
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
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
George Caulkin, The Athletic, 23 July 2024
The world has a 186-billion-pound problem on its hands—that being how many pounds of textiles are cast off each year, with less than 1 percent recycled.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for cast-off 
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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
To understand what has been happening at St James’ Park this summer, first cast off all notions of Newcastle United being among the richest or most ambitious clubs in world football and instead think of them as the smallest, at least in terms of intimacy.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 23 July 2024
The world has a 186-billion-pound problem on its hands—that being how many pounds of textiles are cast off each year, with less than 1 percent recycled.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for cast-off
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 27 Dec. 2024.
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