throwaway

adjective

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throw·away | \ ˈthrō-ə-ˌwā

Definition of throwaway

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

noun

Definition of throwaway (Entry 2 of 3)

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

verb

threw away; thrown away; throwing away; throws away

Definition of throw away (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to get rid of as worthless or unnecessary

b : discard sense 2b

2a : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More about throwaway

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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 Illustrated by Paola Delucca In the same week that Missguided's £1 bikini sparked nationwide outcry over the impact of throwaway fashion, the environment received another blow today. — Natalie Gil, refinery29.com, "MPs Reject 1p Per Garment Fast Fashion Tax That Could Have Made A Difference," 18 June 2019 This ostensibly throwaway comment suggests at once that Israel and southern Lebanon have a decades-long history of conflict and that the locals have become pragmatic and even laconic about the occasional bursts of violence and destruction. — Boyd Van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'All This Victory' ('Jeedar El Sot'): Film Review | Venice 2019," 15 Sep. 2019 Andrew Metzger imbues him with off-the-wall wackiness and spouts a couple of throwaway pop-culture and political references (including a buying-Greenland one-liner). — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: Gifted cast makes ‘The Addams Family’ a treat at Welk Resort Theatre," 7 Sep. 2019 The only lyric giving specific detail into her personal life is the reference to 16th Avenue, likely referring to Nashville’s Music Row, which is more than a throwaway line. — Marcus Jones, EW.com, "A track-by-track breakdown of Taylor Swift's new album Lover," 23 Aug. 2019 Hardware vendors sometimes treat a gaming laptop's trackpad as a throwaway item, making the faulty assumption that its target audience will always lug a high-DPI mouse around, so why bother? — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: Navigating the hazy world of gaming laptops in 2019," 19 Aug. 2019 Tarantino is still practicing a cinema of saturation, demanding the audience’s total attention and bombarding us with allusions, visual jokes, flights of profane eloquence, daubs of throwaway beauty and gobs of premeditated gore. — New York Times, "‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ Review: We Lost It at the Movies," 24 July 2019 Don't think that this is just some throwaway idea that was tacked on to make the latest edition a little less samey - there is a reasonable amount to do with 'Volta Football'. — SI.com, "FIFA 20: New Game to Include Exciting 'Volta Football' Mo Reminiscent of FIFA Street," 8 June 2019 But thanks to a throwaway line in the post-credits scene, some fans are theorizing that Hopper may have somehow survived the explosion in the underground Russian lab. — Megan Mccluskey, Time, "Let's Discuss the Stranger Things Season 3 Theories About This Beloved Character's Fate," 9 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Not long ago, these byproducts of a throwaway lifestyle found a market in China, allowing Americans to toss their garbage in recycling bins with a seemingly clean conscience. — Piper Mcdaniel, Los Angeles Times, "As California’s recycling industry struggles, companies and consumers are forced to adapt," 14 Aug. 2019 The stat removes dropped passes and throwaways from the equation when calculating how accurate a quarterback is. — Stephen Means, cleveland.com, "Justin Fields rated as the most accurate quarterback in PFF ratings: Buckeye Breakfast," 12 Sep. 2019 And the consequences of our throwaway habits are even more staggering: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy report predicted that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish by weight. — Elizabeth Mayhew, Washington Post, "How to cut down on single-use plastics at home," 20 Aug. 2019 Coach Brian Flores is fighting the widespread idea that this is a throwaway year. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "In Washington and Miami, Who Will Be the Starting Quarterbacks?," 15 Aug. 2019 The stuff of radio-wallpaper has been repurposed here, but it’s never performed as karaoke throwaways. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: ‘Moulin Rouge! The Musical’ Offers a Party, and a Playlist, for the Ages," 25 July 2019 In Saint Laurent Why Meryl Streep Has Fake Teeth In Big Little Lies That last line sounds like a throwaway line about yet another Big Little Lies woman rebelling against a dissatisfying husband. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Here's Why Madeline Should Be Worried After That Big Little Lies Season 2 Premiere," 10 June 2019 Yes, those who love comics will thrill to the throwaway gags. — Peter Rubin, WIRED, "Amazon's The Boys Tests the Limits of Superhero Fatigue," 26 July 2019 Hogan’s six-play set was disjointed: Incompletion under pressure (DT Zach Kerr pushed back RG Don Barclay), screen pass, drop by Dunbar, rushing, throwaway and incompletion. — Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "Broncos training camp rewind, Day 3: Four interceptions by defense," 20 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'throwaway.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.