throw down

verb

threw down; thrown down; throwing down; throws down

transitive verb

1

: to cause to fall : overthrow

2

: precipitate

3

: to cast off : discard

4

: to make (a slam dunk) with exceptional force

Synonyms of throw down

• throw
• drop

Examples of throw down in a Sentence

throw down the gun, and put your hands up

Recent Examples on the Web

Gafford capitalized on a rare opportunity to throw down an alley-oop Tuesday in a 124-112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, part of his standout performance of 14 points and 10 rebounds. —Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026

Better to fight than throw down your arms and hope Trump takes pity on you. —Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Wembanyama burst around it, received a pass and threw down a dunk. —Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

The gauntlet has been decisively thrown down. —Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for throw down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown