throw out

verb

threw out; thrown out; throwing out; throws out

transitive verb

1

a

: to remove from a place, office, or employment usually in a sudden or unexpected manner

b

: to get rid of as worthless or unnecessary

2

: to give expression to : utter

… threw out a remark … that utterly confounded him.

—Jean Stafford

3

: to dismiss from acceptance or consideration : reject

the testimony was thrown out

4

: to make visible or manifest : display

… the signal was thrown out for the … fleet to prepare for action …

—Archibald Duncan

5

: to leave behind : outdistance

6

: to give forth from within : emit

7

a

: to send out

b

: to cause to project : extend

8

: confuse, disconcert

… automobiles in line blocking the road … threw the whole schedule out.

—Franklin D. Roosevelt

9

: to cause to stand out : make prominent

10

: to make a throw that enables a teammate to put out (a base runner)

see also:

throw out the baby with the bathwater

Synonyms of throw out

• out
• chase
• eject
• dismiss
• cast out
• kick out
• banish
• run off
• turn out

Examples of throw out in a Sentence

the player was thrown out of the game after assaulting the ref

would you mind if I threw out that leftover pizza that's been in the fridge for two weeks?

Recent Examples on the Web

Gonzalez scored on the infield hit, but Vargas was thrown out at the plate when the ball bounced Shane Baz’s way and the pitcher tossed it to home in time. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2026

Last year, a judge threw out the accusations of body shaming following a motion from Lizzo’s team that argued that events like the nude show outings were protected free speech as part of the creative process. — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 29 June 2026

Trump’s lawyers pointed to the funding to justify having the case thrown out, but their efforts failed. — Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Many of the metrics pro golfers use in a safer approach to a round or a tournament have to be thrown out when a course plays the way River Highlands played Thursday and Friday. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for throw out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

throw out

verb

1

: to reject or get rid of as worthless or unnecessary : throw away

2

: to remove from a place, position, or participation