cast-off

1 of 2

adjective

: thrown away or aside
castoff noun

cast off

2 of 2

verb

cast off; casting off; casts off

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Horák had similarly repurposed cast-off items to deliver a vegetarian course of cavatelli pasta. Christine Muhlke, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025 There was blood cast-off on the walls in various places, including above Xana's body. Robert Birsel hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Verb
At some point, a pair of politically active nuns started hanging out at the Nash home, eventually leaving their formal nun habits, cast off as part of their activism, at the house. Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025 Cricket Wireless cast off an aging set of phone plans, replacing them with a lineup that includes more data and lowers the cost to use a phone as a mobile hotspot. PC Magazine, 26 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cast-off

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cast-off was in 1575

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cast-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast-off. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

cast-off

adjective
ˈkas-ˌtȯf
: thrown away or aside
cast-off clothes
castoff noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cast-off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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