Throw Meaning
/θɹəʊ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo hurl; to release (an object) with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air.
verbTo eject or cause to fall off.
Sentence Examples
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Can you throw a fastball?
Take what you want and throw the rest away.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The star pitcher will ____ the fastball at high speed toward the batter.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please do not ____ rubbish on the ground in the park, as it is important to keep our environment clean today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English throwen, thrawen, from Old English þrāwan (“to turn, twist”), from Proto-West Germanic *þrāan, from Proto-Germanic *þrēaną (“to twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, rub by twisting, twist, turn”). Cognate with Scots thraw (“to twist, turn, throw”), West Frisian triuwe (“to push”), Dutch draaien (“to turn”), Low German draien, dreien (“to turn (in a lathe)”), German drehen (“to turn”). Displaced warp as the word for hurling and was displaced by warp as the word for twisting.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper."
— 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
"There the snake throws her enamelled skin."
— c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
"This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"Through practice, you’ll learn how to add the right amount of water as you throw a pot, and your fingers will feel when the pot has reached the proper thickness."
— 2009 January 19, Linda Franz, Basic Pottery Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started, Stackpole Books, →ISBN:
"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."
— 2012 August 1, Peter Walker, Haroon Siddique, Eight Olympic badminton players disqualified for 'throwing games', Guardian Unlimited:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The star pitcher will ____ the fastball at high speed toward the batter.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please do not ____ rubbish on the ground in the park, as it is important to keep our environment clean today.