Definition
nounA throw, a lob, of a ball etc., with an initial upward direction, particularly with a lack of care.
nounThe coin toss before a cricket match in order to decide who bats first, or before a football match in order to decide the direction of play.
Sentence Examples
Let's toss up for it.
Let's decide by coin toss.
I usually toss my loose change into my desk drawer.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English tossen (“to buffet about, agitate, toss; to sift or winnow”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old Norse (compare dialectal Norwegian tossa, dialectal Swedish tossa (“to strew, spread”)), or perhaps from an alteration of Middle English tosen (“to tease, pull apart, shred; to wound, injure”). Compare also Dutch tassen (“to pile or heap up, stack”).
The Welsh tos (“a quick jerk”) and tosio (“to jerk, toss”) are probably borrowed from the English.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"This put us at the board into a Tosse."
— 1666 June 2, Samuel Pepys, Diary:
""We are all in a toss, in our neighborhood," said Mistress Pottle."
— 1845, Sylvester Judd, Margaret:
"It will differ from the heaped measure of oysters, improperly called the peck, by about one-seventh part in excess, and from the toss of sprats by about one-third part in excess."
— 1834, Sir Charles William Pasley, “That the cubic foot is the smallest measure, which ought to be used in wholesale dealings in fish or fruit”, in Observations on the expediency and practicability of simplifying and improving the measures, weights and money, used in this country, without materially altering the present standards, page 96:
"Then I look again at this message. What a load of toss."
— 2012 February 16, Sean Thomas, Millions of Women are Waiting to Meet You: A Story of Life, Love and Internet Dating, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 101:
"'You were,' John said, with infinite love, 'talking such absolute toss.'"
— 2018 June 28, Caitlin Moran, How to be Famous, Random House, →ISBN: