throwaway

1 of 3

adjective

throw·​away ˈthrō-ə-ˌwā 

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

: nonchalant, casual

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

b

: discard sense 2b

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

Synonyms

Verb

• cashier
• cast (off)
• chuck
• deep-six
• discard
• ditch
• dump
• eighty-six
• 86
• exorcise
• exorcize
• fling (off or away)
• jettison
• junk
• lay by
• lose
• pitch
• reject
• scrap
• shed
• shuck (off)
• slough (off)
• sluff (off)
• throw out
• toss
• unload

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

Valak, the demon that manifests as this Satanic holy woman who originated as a potentially throwaway character. —EW.com, 6 May 2025

That alone should set the alarm bells ringing as PayPal would obviously not be sending you a critical security notification using a throwaway Gmail address. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Noun

The backbone of the current system is committed community and green groups, a small but growing suite or repair shops and customers who feel uncomfortable with the throwaway society. —Nick Nuttall, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025

An archive of throwaways gets new life when presented as a natural history composed of cultural artifacts. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025

Verb

Any watermelon that has visible mold should be thrown away. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 14 June 2025

The merchandise, valued at nearly $10,600, then had to be thrown away. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 12 June 2025

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

Rhymes for throwaway

• aaa
• adonais
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway

Kids Definition

throwaway

1 of 3 noun

throw·​away ˈthrō-ə-ˌwā 

: 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