• (British) enPR: thrō, IPA: /θɹəʊ/, [θɾ̪̊əʊ]
• (America) enPR: thrō, IPA: /θɹoʊ/, [θɾ̪̊oʊ]

throw (throws, present participle throwing; past threw, past participle thrown)

1. (transitive) To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.

   throw a shoe; throw a javelin; the horse threw its rider

   Synonyms: bowl, bung, buzz, cast, catapult, chuck, dash, direct, fire, fling, flip, heave, hurl, launch, lob, pitch, project, propel, send, shoot, shy, sling, toss, whang

2. (transitive) To eject or cause to fall off.
   • c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene i]:

     There the snake throws her enamelled skin.

   Synonyms: eject, throw off

3. (transitive) To move to another position or condition; to displace.

   throw the switch

   Synonyms: displace, relocate

4. (ceramics) To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
5. (transitive, cricket, of a bowler) to deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
6. (transitive, computing) To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.

   If the file is read-only, the method throws an invalid-operation exception.

7. (sports) To intentionally lose a game.

   The tennis player was accused of taking bribes to throw the match.

   • 2012, August 1. Peter Walker and Haroon Siddique in Guardian Unlimited, Eight Olympic badminton players disqualified for 'throwing games' ↗

     Four pairs of women's doubles badminton players, including the Chinese top seeds, have been ejected from the Olympic tournament for trying to throw matches in an effort to secure a more favourable quarter-final draw.

   Synonyms: take a dive
8. (transitive, informal) To confuse or mislead.

   The deliberate red herring threw me at first.

9. (figuratively) To send desperately.

   Their sergeant threw the troops into pitched battle.

10. (transitive) To imprison.

    The magistrate ordered the suspect to be thrown into jail.

    • 1818, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

      The plot of Felix was quickly discovered, and De Lacey and Agatha were thrown into prison.

    • 1993, Margaret McKee, Fred Chisenhall, Beale black & blue: life and music on black America's main street - Page 30

      The standard method of dealing with an addict was to arrest him, throw him into a cell, and leave him until the agonizing pangs of withdrawal were over.

11. To organize an event, especially a party.
    • 1979, Working Mother, July 1979, Page 72

      Should you be interested, for whatever reason, it will tell you how to throw a party for your 40-year-old husband or your 100-year-old great-grandmother. It also describes games that can be played at various kinds of parties […]

12. (ambitransitive) To roll (a die or dice).
    • 1844, Samuel Laing translating Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla

      The kings came to the agreement between themselves that they would cast lots by the dice to determine who should have this property, and that he who threw the highest should have the district. The Swedish king threw two sixes, and said King Olaf need scarcely throw.

13. (transitive) To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
    • 1844, Samuel Laing translating Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla

      The kings came to the agreement between themselves that they would cast lots by the dice to determine who should have this property, and that he who threw the highest should have the district. The Swedish king threw two sixes, and said King Olaf need scarcely throw.

14. (transitive, bridge) To discard.
15. (martial arts) To lift the opponent off the ground and bring him back down, especially into a position behind the thrower.
16. (transitive, said of one's voice) To change in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else.
17. (transitive) To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
    • 1991, Janet L. Davies, Ellen Hastings Janosik, Mental health and psychiatric nursing: a caring approach

      Bill runs into the kitchen and tells Dad that Erik is throwing a tantrum. He tells Bill to go back and watch his program and to ignore his brother. Fifteen minutes later, Erik is still screaming […]

    • 1996, New York Magazine, Vol. 29, No. 32, 19 Aug 1996; Entertaining Mrs Stone

      In 1975, pregnant with the second of her three children, she threw a hissy fit to get on a trip to Boston for elected officials.

18. (transitive) To project or send forth.
19. To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
20. To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
21. (baseball, slang, of a team, a manager, etc.) To select (a pitcher); to assign a pitcher to a given role (such as starter or reliever).
    • 2009, Michael T. Lynch, Jr., It Ain't So: A Might-Have-Been History of the White Sox in 1919 and Beyond, page 63 ↗ ISBN 0786441895

      I have a minor quibble with Gleason's decision to throw Lefty Williams in Game Eight with the Series in the balance.

22. (transitive) To install (a bridge).
    • 1860, Fredrika Bremer (trans. Mary Howitt), Life in the Old World, v. 1, p. 164.

      […] across the rapid smaragdus-green waters, pouring onward into the country, are thrown three bridges ...

23. (obsolete, Scotland, Northern England) To twist or turn.

    a thrown nail

• See also Thesaurus:throw

• French: jeter, lancer
• German: werfen, schmeißen
• Italian: gettare, lanciare, tirare
• Portuguese: lançar, atirar, arremessar, jogar
• Russian: броса́ть
• Spanish: lanzar, tirar, arrojar

• Portuguese: expelir
• Russian: сбра́сывать

• French: déplacer, bouger
• Russian: переключа́ть

• Russian: лепи́ть

• Portuguese: lançar

• Portuguese: entregar

throw (plural throws)

1. The flight of a thrown object.

   What a great throw by the quarterback!

2. The act of throwing something.

   With an accurate throw, he lassoed the cow.

   The gambler staked everything on one throw of the dice.

3. One's ability to throw.

   He's got a girl's throw.

   He's always had a pretty decent throw.

4. A distance travelled; displacement.

   the throw of the piston

5. A piece of fabric used to cover a bed, sofa or other soft furnishing.
6. A single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance.

   Football tickets are expensive at fifty bucks a throw.

7. A violent effort.

• French: jet, lancement
• Portuguese: lançamento, arremesso
• Russian: бросо́к
• Spanish: lanzamiento

• Russian: бросо́к

• Russian: покрыва́ло

throw (plural throws)

1. Pain, especially pain associated with childbirth; throe.
2. (veterinary) The act of giving birth in animals, especially in cows.

throw (throws, present participle throwing; past threw, past participle thrown)

1. (transitive, said of animals) To give birth to.
   • 1916, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: Volume 49

     At the end of the normal gestation period the cow threw two calf mummies as large as cats.

throw (plural throws)

1. (obsolete) A moment, time, occasion.
2. (obsolete) A period of time; a while.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.iv:

     Downe himselfe he layd / Vpon the grassie ground, to sleepe a throw; / The cold earth was his couch, the hard steele his pillow.

• stound

1. Misspelling of throe