tosses; tossed; tossing
1
: to throw (something) with a quick, light motion
I tossed the ball to him. = I tossed him the ball.
She tossed the ball high in/into the air.
She tossed the paper at/into the recycling bin.
He tossed his dirty socks onto the floor.
2
: to move or lift (something, such as a part of your body) quickly or suddenly
He tossed his head back.
She tossed her hair and smiled.
3
: to move (something) back and forth or up and down
Waves tossed the ship about.
The ship tossed on the waves.
4
: to stir or mix (something) lightly
Gently toss the salad.
Toss the vegetables with olive oil.
5
: to cause (something) to turn over by throwing it into the air
toss a coin
toss [=flip] a pancake
"Who's going to put out the trash?" "Let's toss for it." [=let's toss a coin to decide]
plural tosses
1
: the act of throwing or tossing something with a quick, light motion
a bouquet toss
He gave the salad a quick toss. [=he tossed the salad]
2
: the act of throwing a coin up into the air in order to make a decision about something based on which side of the coin is shown after it lands
They decided what to do by a coin toss.
the toss of a coin
She won the toss.
3
: the act of moving your head suddenly upward and backward
She threw her hair back with a toss of her head.
Cite this Entry
“Toss.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/toss. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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