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
Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Sell-offs like these can be opportunities for other establishments — such as supermarkets, hospitals, or schools — to stock up on affordable wares, and can also help keep cast-off inventory out of landfills, Sherman said.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2023
The cast-off animals had been locked in dirty wire cages and left in a field on the ranch with no regular caregiver to give them food and water.
—Diane Bell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2023
Shimmering in purple like a cherry blossom, the cast-off material once comprised the star’s outer layer.
—Marcia Dunn, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2023
Larissa Hofmann, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2023
The captain stands on the flying bridge as the crew casts off.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
Would that require casting off all European influences?
—Larry Rohter, The New York Review of Books, 14 Sep. 2023
The ritual is about symbolically casting away sins, and people often throw bread crumbs into the water to symbolize casting off the sins and letting the water wash them away.
—Alesandra Dubin, Country Living, 29 Aug. 2023
Women’s casting off and burning their headscarves became a prominent act of defiance in the early weeks of the protest movement.
—Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
The Los Angeles native became a fan favorite and franchise icon with the Dodgers, going from an unheralded reclamation project who’d been cast off by the Mets to a two-time All-Star, three-time pennant winner and veteran leader on the club’s 2020 World Series-winning squad.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Joplin, who also wrote the libretto, made clear that his protagonist learned from a white teacher, furthering his crucial — and dated — theme: the need for Black people to cast off a racialized past and embrace an assimilation defined by whites.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 27 July 2023
Antonio didn’t like it and wished his doctor would saw the cast off.
—Lizzie Johnson, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
See More
Adjective
Thunderbolts, a Suicide Squad-like assembly of cast-off MCU villains?
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Sell-offs like these can be opportunities for other establishments — such as supermarkets, hospitals, or schools — to stock up on affordable wares, and can also help keep cast-off inventory out of landfills, Sherman said.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2023
The cast-off animals had been locked in dirty wire cages and left in a field on the ranch with no regular caregiver to give them food and water.
—Diane Bell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2023
Shimmering in purple like a cherry blossom, the cast-off material once comprised the star’s outer layer.
—Marcia Dunn, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2023
Verb
At right: Indulging her crafty side, Moss casts off a bit of length from her Giorgio Armani dress (armani.com)—and just as quickly reaps a lot of kicky chic.
—Larissa Hofmann, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2023
The captain stands on the flying bridge as the crew casts off.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
Would that require casting off all European influences?
—Larry Rohter, The New York Review of Books, 14 Sep. 2023
The ritual is about symbolically casting away sins, and people often throw bread crumbs into the water to symbolize casting off the sins and letting the water wash them away.
—Alesandra Dubin, Country Living, 29 Aug. 2023
Women’s casting off and burning their headscarves became a prominent act of defiance in the early weeks of the protest movement.
—Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
The Los Angeles native became a fan favorite and franchise icon with the Dodgers, going from an unheralded reclamation project who’d been cast off by the Mets to a two-time All-Star, three-time pennant winner and veteran leader on the club’s 2020 World Series-winning squad.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Joplin, who also wrote the libretto, made clear that his protagonist learned from a white teacher, furthering his crucial — and dated — theme: the need for Black people to cast off a racialized past and embrace an assimilation defined by whites.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 27 July 2023
Antonio didn’t like it and wished his doctor would saw the cast off.
—Lizzie Johnson, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cast-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
1613, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
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 3 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
cast-off
adjectiveˈkas-ˌtȯf
: thrown away or aside
cast-off clothes
castoff
noun
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