throwaway

1 of 3

adjective

throw·​away ˈthrō-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce throwaway (audio)
1
: designed to be thrown away : disposable
throwaway containers
2
: written or spoken (as in a play) in a low-key or unemphatic manner
throwaway lines
3
4
: marked by a tendency to discard things : overly wasteful
a throwaway society

throwaway

2 of 3

noun

1
: one that is or is designed to be thrown away: such as
a
: a free handbill or circular
b
: a line of dialogue (as in a play) de-emphasized by casual delivery
especially : a joke or witticism delivered casually
2
: something made or done without care or interest
3
: a child who has been forced to leave home or who has run away from indifferent or hostile parents

throw away

3 of 3

verb

threw away; thrown away; throwing away; throws away

transitive verb

1
a
: to get rid of as worthless or unnecessary
2
a
: to use in a foolish or wasteful manner : squander
b
: to fail to take advantage of : waste
throw away an opportunity
3
: to make (something, such as a line in a play) unemphatic by casual delivery

Examples of throwaway in a Sentence

Verb I should throw away that torn shirt. if you buy a high-end computer, you'll just be throwing away money on a bunch of features you'll never use
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Reich also makes skillful use of the callback, in which a seemingly throwaway line is revisited and built on, sometimes multiple times. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2023 Even the seemingly throwaway dialogue in a dinner scene reinforces how society perceives women struggling to balance the unfair demands of family and career. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2023
Noun
Along the way, there’s plenty of fun to be had, with the film thankfully forgoing the current animation trend of pop culture references in favor of throwaway jokes delivered in deadpan fashion. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024 Humiliation as a punishment is conveyed with a powerful empathy, and what could have been a throwaway plot detail becomes a major emotional beat. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2024
Verb
Food at the wrong temperatures led several restaurants to throw away a host of items during the latest Maricopa County health inspections where four Phoenix-area restaurants were hit with 19 health code violations. Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024 By connecting with customers in person, doubling down on creativity and joining forces with fellow brands, online retailers can stop throwing away their money. Benjamin Crudo, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for throwaway 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'throwaway.' 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

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of throwaway was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near throwaway

Cite this Entry

“Throwaway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/throwaway. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

throwaway

1 of 3 noun
throw·​away ˈthrō-ə-ˌwā How to pronounce throwaway (audio)
: something that is or is designed to be thrown away especially after one use

throwaway

2 of 3 adjective
throw·​away
ˌthrō-ə-ˌwā
: designed to be thrown away : disposable
throwaway cans and bottles

throw away

3 of 3 verb
ˌthrō-ə-ˈwā
1
: to get rid of : discard
threw the old ones away
2
: squander, waste
careful not to throw money away
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