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

• dump
• discard
• ditch
• unload
• lose

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

An alias is a throwaway address that forwards mail to your real inbox. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025

There’s a deeper meaning to the song, but also, a lot of it feels throwaway. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025

Noun

Rogue One sprung up from a throwaway line in the opening Star Wars crawl and eventually led to Andor, one of the finest series ever made. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2025

That's an expert throwaway from Bo Nix against the Jets blitz. —Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025

Verb

Athletes throwing away their careers because of drinking, drugs or gambling is nothing new. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 23 Oct. 2025

Unilever hosted a separate lounge for its brands a stone’s throw away. —James Manso, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 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