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

—F. 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)

Phrases

throw out the baby with the bathwater

: to discard or lose something useful or beneficial in the process of discarding or rejecting something unwanted

Synonyms

• 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

Trevor Larnach was thrown out in the first inning at the plate for the third out, and in both the third and fourth, the Twins left the bases loaded. —Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025

Appellate judges in New York threw out a roughly $500 million fraud penalty in August. —Dan Alexander, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

He was thrown out on a laser by right fielder Cody Bellinger attempting to score the tying run in the sixth inning of Saturday's game, banging his knee hard on catcher Austin Wells' shin guard while sliding into the plate. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

For Rafaela, that meant missing a diving catch off the bat of Yandy Diaz, but then popping up to throw out Jonathan Aranda trying to advance to third base. —Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th 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