throw - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”).

Cognate with Scots thraw (“to twist, turn, throw”), West Frisian triuwe (“to push”), Dutch draaien (“to turn”), Low German draien, dreien (“to turn (in a lathe)”), German drehen (“to turn”).

Displaced warp as the word for hurling and was displaced by warp as the word for twisting.

throw (third-person singular simple present throws, present participle throwing, simple past threw or (nonstandard) throwed, past participle thrown or (nonstandard) throwed or (nonstandard) threw)

A man throws a coconut on a beach in Ivory Coast (1)

  1. (transitive) To hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.
    Synonyms: bung, cast, fling, hurl; see also Thesaurus:throw
    throw a shoe; throw a javelin; the horse threw its rider
  2. (transitive) To eject or cause to fall off.
  3. (transitive) To move to another position or condition; to displace.
    Synonyms: displace, relocate
    throw the switch
    • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
      This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.
  4. (transitive, ceramics) To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
    • 2009 January 19, Linda Franz, Basic Pottery Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started, Stackpole Books, →ISBN:
      Through practice, you’ll learn how to add the right amount of water as you throw a pot, and your fingers will feel when the pot has reached the proper thickness.
  5. (transitive, cricket, of a bowler) To deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
  6. (transitive, computing) To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.
    If the file is read-only, the method throws an invalid-operation exception.
  7. (sports, video games) To intentionally lose a game.
    Synonym: take a dive
    The tennis player was accused of taking bribes to throw the match.
    • 2012 August 1, Peter Walker, Haroon Siddique, Eight Olympic badminton players disqualified for 'throwing games'‎[1], Guardian Unlimited:
      Four pairs of women's doubles badminton players, including the Chinese top seeds, have been ejected from the Olympic tournament for trying to throw matches in an effort to secure a more favourable quarter-final draw.
  8. (sports, transitive) (of a game where one’s role is throwing something) To perform in a specified way in (a match).
    The pitcher threw a perfect game.
  9. (transitive, informal) To confuse or mislead.
    The deliberate red herring threw me at first.
    • 1999, Jan Blackstone-Ford, The Custody Solutions Sourcebook, page 196:
      “Jann, why does he hate me so much?” That question threw me. I was expecting a lunatic yelling profanities.
  10. (transitive, figuratively) To send hastily or desperately.
    Their sergeant threw the troops into pitched battle.
  1. (transitive) To imprison.
    The magistrate ordered the suspect to be thrown into jail.
  1. (transitive) To organize an event, especially a party.
    She was known for throwing the craziest parties in college.
  1. (ambitransitive) To roll (a die or dice).
  1. (transitive) To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
  1. (transitive, bridge) To discard.
  2. (martial arts) To lift or unbalance one’s opponent and then bring him back down to the ground, especially into a position behind the thrower.
  1. (transitive) To change (one’s voice) in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else, or coming from a different place.
  2. (transitive) To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
  1. (transitive) To project or send forth.
  1. To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
  1. (transitive) To prepare (a cocktail) by pouring liquid between shakers from a height.
    The barman taught me how to throw a cocktail.
  2. To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
  1. (baseball, slang, of a team, a manager, etc.) To select (a pitcher); to assign a pitcher to a given role (such as starter or reliever).
  1. (transitive) To install (a bridge).
  1. (obsolete, Scotland, Northern England) To twist or turn.
    a thrown nail
  2. (American football) Synonym of pass.
  3. (transitive, of a punch or boxing combination) To deliver.
  1. (transitive, veterinary medicine) Of animals: to give birth to (young).

to cause an object to move rapidly through the air

to eject or cause to fall off

to move to another position

in cricket, to deliver the ball illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery

to organize an event, especially a party

martial arts: to lift the opponent off the ground and bring him back down

to show sudden emotion, especially anger

to put on hastily; to spread carelessly

baseball: to select a pitcher

to install a bridge

Translations to be checked

throw (plural throws)

  1. The act of throwing something.
    With an accurate throw, he lassoed the cow.
    What a great throw by the quarterback!
    The gambler staked everything on one throw of the dice.
    • 2006, Hans-Wolfgang Loidl, Trends in Functional Programming, volume 5, page 62:
      If the expression is a throw, we unwind the stack seeking a handler expression.
  2. (martial arts) A move in which one lifts or unbalances one’s opponent and then brings him down to the ground.
  3. One’s ability to throw.
    He’s always had a pretty decent throw.
  4. The distance travelled by something thrown.
    a stone's throw
  5. (Can we verify(+) this sense?) The flight of a thrown object.
  6. A distance travelled in general; displacement.
    the throw of the piston
    • 1947, James Jerome Gibson, Motion Picture Testing and Research, number 7, page 49:
      The visibility of the screen image is affected by the length of throw of the projector, the type of projector, the intensity of the projector lamp, and the type of the screen.
  7. A piece of fabric used to cover a bed, sofa or other soft furnishing.
    Synonyms: throwover, throw blanket
  8. (informal) A single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance.
    Football tickets are expensive at fifty bucks a throw.
  9. Any of the projections integral to a crankshaft that receive or impart cranking motion from a connecting rod or similar component.
  10. (historical) A hand-operated lathe, especially a small lathe used by clockmakers.

flight of a thrown object

single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance

From Middle English, from Old English þrāh, þrāg (“space of time, period, while”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þragjan, “to run”).

throw (plural throws)

  1. (obsolete) A moment, time, occasion.
  2. (obsolete) A period of time; a while.

See throe.

throw (plural throws)

  1. Obsolete spelling of throe.
    • 1597, John Gerarde [_i.e._, John Gerard], “Of Cotton Grasse”, in The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes. […], London: […] Edm[und] Bollifant, for Bonham and Iohn Norton, →OCLC, book I, page 27:
      [Valerius] Cordus ſaith, that Iuncus bombicinus ſodden in wine, and ſo taken, helpeth the throwes and gripings of the bellie, that women haue in their childing.
    • c. 1605–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], page 97, column 1:
      Commend me to them,
      And tell them, that to eaſe them of their greefes,
      Their feares of Hoſtile ſtrokes, their Aches loſſes,
      Their pangs of Loue, with other incident throwes
      That Natures fragile Veſſell doth ſuſtaine
      In lifes vncertaine voyage, I will ſome kindnes do them, […]
    • 1693, Thomas Yalden, “The Curse of Babylon. Paraphras’d from the Thirteenth Chapter of Isaia. A Pindaric Ode.”, in Examen Poeticum: Being the Third Part of Miscellany Poems. […], London: […] R. E. for Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, stanza 5, pages 314–315:
      I'll viſit their Diſtreſs with Plagues and Miſeries,
      The throws that VVomens Labours wait,
      Convulſive Pangs, and bloody Sweat,
      Their Beauty ſhall conſume, and vital Spirits ſeize.
    • a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Autumn”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC, page 161, lines 1322–1323:
      Seiz'd by the general joy, his heart diſtends
      With gentle throws; […]
    • 1742, [Edward Young], “Night the First. On Life, Death, and Immortality. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: […] [Samuel Richardson] for A[ndrew] Millar […], and R[obert] Dodsley […], published 1750, →OCLC, page 14:
      In this Shape, or in that, has Fate entail'd
      The Mother's Throws on all of Woman born,
      Not more the Children, than ſure Heirs of Pain.
    • 1806 October, J. H. K., “Hints on the Manner in which Christian Parents should Improve the Death of Children”, in The Evangelical Magazine, volume XIV, London: […] [G. Auld] for Williams and Smith, […], →OCLC, page 441:
      [W]e never know the full force of parental affection till our children are about to be taken from us. It is then that we discover how strongly they have entwined themselves round our hearts; when we behold the fixed eye, the pale lips, the convulsive throws of death distorting the countenance; or when with aching and throbbing hearts we deposit those who are a part of ourselves in the cold and silent grave.

throw (third-person singular simple present throws, present participle throwing, simple past threw, past participle thrown)

  1. Obsolete spelling of throe.