as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
once she became rich and didn't need them anymore, she cast off all her old friends like so much junk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in discarded
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cast (off)
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
The 49ers, under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, have not shied away from bringing back castoffs.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Ira, so with a trade the team will be Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jovic and a bunch of G Leaguers or castoffs.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
In the most roundabout way possible, an agency castoff had become the soul and voice of K-pop's greatest cultural phenomenon yet.
—Sheldon Pearce, NPR, 29 Jan. 2026
Women aren’t simply looking for grandma’s castoffs, though.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
Receiver Skyy Moore, a Kansas City Chiefs castoff, started in motion to his right and then came back left as quarterback Brock Purdy received a snap from under center.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
And in the latest transaction for one of the Yankees’ AL rivals, that has meant a new home for a recent castoff.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 2 Dec. 2025
Women in elegant African-print dresses carry burdens on their heads; men in cast-off Western clothes push wooden carts laden with potatoes and carrots.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Close to cast-off time, the tour company canceled the excursion.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2025
And its current depth chart at the position is headed by Anthony Richardson and New York Giants cast-off Daniel Jones.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2025
Horák had similarly repurposed cast-off items to deliver a vegetarian course of cavatelli pasta.
—Christine Muhlke, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
There was blood cast-off on the walls in various places, including above Xana's body.
—Robert Birsel
hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
The object doesn’t display a large tail or enveloping coma of cast-off gas, only a hint of dust—but that is expected to change soon.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 16 July 2025
On the table in the middle of the room were silicone peels reminiscent of cast-off snakeskin.
—Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Noun
The Swedish textile recycler and the Finnish material innovator worked together to turn castoff clothing into new fibers back when Circulose was known as Renewcell and under its pre-bankruptcy management.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
The 49ers, under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, have not shied away from bringing back castoffs.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Ira, so with a trade the team will be Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jovic and a bunch of G Leaguers or castoffs.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
In the most roundabout way possible, an agency castoff had become the soul and voice of K-pop's greatest cultural phenomenon yet.
—Sheldon Pearce, NPR, 29 Jan. 2026
Women aren’t simply looking for grandma’s castoffs, though.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
Receiver Skyy Moore, a Kansas City Chiefs castoff, started in motion to his right and then came back left as quarterback Brock Purdy received a snap from under center.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
And in the latest transaction for one of the Yankees’ AL rivals, that has meant a new home for a recent castoff.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The Patriots patched their defensive line with players like Cory Durden, a Giants cast-off who proved worthy of a starting spot at least for one night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 2 Dec. 2025
Women in elegant African-print dresses carry burdens on their heads; men in cast-off Western clothes push wooden carts laden with potatoes and carrots.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Close to cast-off time, the tour company canceled the excursion.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2025
And its current depth chart at the position is headed by Anthony Richardson and New York Giants cast-off Daniel Jones.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2025
Horák had similarly repurposed cast-off items to deliver a vegetarian course of cavatelli pasta.
—Christine Muhlke, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
There was blood cast-off on the walls in various places, including above Xana's body.
—Robert Birsel
hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
The object doesn’t display a large tail or enveloping coma of cast-off gas, only a hint of dust—but that is expected to change soon.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 16 July 2025
On the table in the middle of the room were silicone peels reminiscent of cast-off snakeskin.
—Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cast (off)
Verb
-
One-two snowstorm punch Two storm systems in a row — one Friday, then another Sunday into Monday — will chug along the country’s northern tier and Great Lakes and between them could dump 3 to 4 feet of snow in places, Maue said.—
Seth Borenstein,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
One hot summer day, to keep the temperature of the freezer down, Schaefer dumped a bunch of dry ice in, and millions of tiny ice crystals formed on the black velvet lining.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
New rejects include four additional variations of 04FCSK and several other attempts at sneaking in the f-word, including 0F0KS and 0FUX4U. Other additions include: 1. 0GB0SS 2. 0HCR4P 3. B4DAZZ 4.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
These days, the aviary houses parakeets that are mostly rejects from friends whose kids got bored with them.—
Inga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In another development, researchers in the US developed a new method that could turn discarded data center hardware into a reliable, eco-friendly source of rare earths and valuable metals.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The first-stage booster that had been tapped during the original attempts was discarded for a new booster.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The foundation owns books donated or discarded by various library branches.—
Margaret Littman,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An asterisk indicates the castaway was eliminated or medically evacuated and no longer competing.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Other castaways include Season 1’s Jenna Lewis-Dougherty, Season 2’s Colby Donaldson, and Cirie Fields, competing for the fifth time.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The lot was filled with junked cars, equipment and garbage, the report shows.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The builder also ditched its original plan to send traffic into a neighboring development and will donate two wells to the neighboring English Hills subdivision, representatives of the builder told the board Monday night.—
Joe Marusak
March 17,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Elsewhere Renate Reinsve ditched her shoes and walked barefoot through the party, which was carpeted.—
Lindsey Bahr,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Borisy helped Nikolic launch a fund, and used his own high-profile venture firm to vouch for the outcast.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
11 Mar. 2026
-
What was the most rewarding part about being an outcast?—
Jason Newman,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cast (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cast%20%28off%29. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
