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

That didn't stop Boston's 2004 World Series champion and MLB Network analyst Kevin Millar from throwing out a hypothetical for a future Hall of Famer. —Tim Crowley, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025

The Supreme Court threw out Glossip’s murder conviction in February because a key witness lied in court and prosecutors withheld information about him. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 24 July 2025

Her lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to throw out her case, arguing a non-prosecution agreement that Epstein made with federal prosecutors in Florida in 2007 allegedly barred her subsequent prosecution in New York more than a decade later. —James Hill, ABC News, 24 July 2025

In May, a German court threw out a case between a Peruvian farmer and German energy giant RWE RWEG.DE, but his lawyers and environmentalists said the case, which dragged on for a decade, was still a victory for climate cases that could bring similar lawsuits. —Stephanie Van Den Berg, USA Today, 23 July 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