cast

¹cast

verb \ˈkast\

castcast·ing

Definition of CAST

transitive verb

1

a : to cause to move or send forth by throwing <cast a fishing lure> <cast dice>

b : direct <cast a glance>

c (1) : to put forth <the fire casts a warm glow> <cast light on the subject> (2) : to place as if by throwing <cast doubt on their reliability>

d : to deposit (a ballot) formally

e (1) : to throw off or away <the horse cast a shoe> (2) : to get rid of : discard <cast off all restraint> (3) : shed, molt (4) : to bring forth; especially : to give birth to prematurely

f : to throw to the ground especially in wrestling

g : to build by throwing up earth

2

a (1) : to perform arithmetical operations on : add (2) : to calculate by means of astrology

b archaic : decide, intend

3

a : to dispose or arrange into parts or into a suitable form or order

b (1) : to assign the parts of (a dramatic production) to actors <cast a movie> (2) : to assign (as an actor) to a role or part <was cast in the leading role>

4

a : to give a shape to (a substance) by pouring in liquid or plastic form into a mold and letting harden without pressure <cast steel>

b : to form by this process

5

: turn <cast the scale slightly>

6

: to make (a knot or stitch) by looping or catching up

7

: twist, warp <a beam cast by age>

intransitive verb

1

: to throw something; specifically : to throw out a lure with a fishing rod

2

dialect British : vomit

3

dialect English : to bear fruit : yield

4

a : to perform addition

b obsolete : estimate, conjecture

5

: warp

6

: to range over land in search of a trail —used of hunting dogs or trackers

7

: veer

— cast·abil·i·ty \ˌkas-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— cast·able \ˈkas-tə-bəl\ adjective

— cast lots

: to draw lots to determine a matter by chance

Examples of CAST

1. Seaweed was cast up by the waves.
2. The tree cast a long shadow on the lawn.
3. How many votes were cast?

Origin of CAST

Middle English, from Old Norse kasta; akin to Old Norse kǫs heap

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to CAST

Synonyms

emit, discharge, emanate, evolve, exhale, expel, expire [archaic], give out, irradiate, issue, radiate, release, send (out), shoot, throw out, vent

Related Words

eliminate, evacuate, excrete, exude, ooze, secrete; eject, erupt, gush, jet, outpour, pour, spew, spout, spray, spurt, squirt

Near Antonyms

absorb, inhale, soak (up), sponge, suck (up), take up

See Synonym Discussion at discard, throw

Rhymes with CAST

bast, blast, clast, fast, gast, ghast, last, mast, Nast, past, vast

²cast

noun

Definition of CAST

1

a : an act of casting

b : something that happens as a result of chance

c : a throw of dice

d : a throw of a line (as a fishing line) or net

2

a : the form in which a thing is constructed

b (1) : the set of actors in a dramatic production (2) : a set of characters or persons <in both great houses there is the usual cast of servants — Elizabeth Bowen>

c : the arrangement of draperies in a painting

3

: the distance to which a thing can be thrown; specifically : the distance a bow can shoot

4

a : a turning of the eye in a particular direction; also : expression <this freakish, elfish cast came into the child's eye — Nathaniel Hawthorne>

b : a slight strabismus

5

: something that is thrown or the quantity thrown; especially British : the leader of a fishing line

6

a : something that is formed by casting in a mold or form: as (1) : a reproduction (as of a statue) in metal or plaster : casting (2) : a fossil reproduction of the details of a natural object by mineral infiltration

b : an impression taken from an object with a liquid or plastic substance : mold

c : a rigid casing (as of fiberglass or of gauze impregnated with plaster of paris) used for immobilizing a usually diseased or broken part

7

: forecast, conjecture

8

a : an overspread of a color or modification of the appearance of a substance by a trace of some added hue : shade <gray with a greenish cast>

b : tinge, suggestion

9

a : a ride on one's way in a vehicle : lift

b Scottish : help, assistance

10

a : shape, appearance <the delicate cast of her features>

b : characteristic quality <his father's conservative cast of mind>

11

: something that is shed, ejected, or thrown out or off: as

a : the excrement of an earthworm

b : a mass of soft matter formed in cavities of diseased organs and discharged from the body

c : the skin of an insect

12

: the ranging in search of a trail by a dog, hunting pack, or tracker

Examples of CAST

1. She has a cast on her arm.
2. They made a mask from a wax cast of her face.

First Known Use of CAST

14th century

Related to CAST

Synonyms

auguring, augury, bodement, prediction, forecast, forecasting, foretelling, predicting, presaging, prognosis, prognostic, prognosticating, prognostication, prophecy (also prophesy), soothsaying, vaticination

Related Words

foreboding, harbinger, omen, portent, prevision, prospectus, sign; anticipation, foreknowledge; foresight; conjecture, guess, surmise

Near Antonyms

achromatism

Other Performing Arts Terms

diva, dramaturgy, loge, prestidigitation, proscenium, supernumerary, zany