throw out

verb

threw out; thrown out; throwing out; throws out

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove from a place, office, or employment usually in a sudden or unexpected manner

b

: to get rid of as worthless or unnecessary

2

: to give expression to : utter

threw out a remark … that utterly confounded him

—Jean Stafford

3

: to dismiss from acceptance or consideration : reject

the testimony was thrown out

4

: to make visible or manifest : display

the signal was thrown out for the … fleet to prepare for action

—Archibald Duncan

5

: to leave behind : outdistance

6

: to give forth from within : emit

7

a

: to send out

b

: to cause to project : extend

8

: confuse, disconcert

automobiles in line blocking the road … threw the whole schedule out

—F. D. Roosevelt

9

: to cause to stand out : make prominent

10

: to make a throw that enables a teammate to put out (a base runner)

Phrases

throw out the baby with the bathwater

: to discard or lose something useful or beneficial in the process of discarding or rejecting something unwanted

Synonyms

• banish
• boot (out)
• bounce
• cast out
• chase
• dismiss
• drum (out)
• eject
• expel
• extrude
• kick out
• oust
• out
• rout
• run off
• turf (out) [chiefly British]
• turn out

Examples of throw out in a Sentence

the player was thrown out of the game after assaulting the ref

would you mind if I threw out that leftover pizza that's been in the fridge for two weeks?

Recent Examples on the Web

Separately, Gutierrez failed in her bid this fall to have Marlowe Sommer throw out her conviction, alleging that the prosecutor also withheld evidence in her proceedings. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

Hours after former President Donald Trump vowed to fire special counsel Jack Smith as one of his first moves in office, his lawyers launched a new effort Thursday to have a federal judge throw out Trump's election interference case by arguing that Smith was illegally funded and appointed. —Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris is trying to retain the White House for the Democrats at a time when voters all over the world are throwing out their incumbents. —Dave Lawler, Axios, 23 Oct. 2024

Disney attempted to have the claim thrown out but this was rejected by a judge, leading to it appealing that decision. —Caroline Reid, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

throw out

verb

1

: to reject or get rid of as worthless or unnecessary : throw away

2

: to remove from a place, position, or participation