# casting

/ˈkæstɪŋ/ (US) · /kˈɑːstɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/casting
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. selecting actors

noun · CEFR B2

the process of choosing actors, singers, or dancers for a film or play.

For teachers: the act or process of selecting performers for a production. Often used as a modifier in 'casting director' or 'casting call'.

- The director spent weeks on casting before finding the perfect lead actor.
- The casting for the new musical was notoriously rigorous, requiring performers to demonstrate exceptional skills in both classical ballet and contemporary jazz.

### 2. industrial molding

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a way of making an object by pouring hot, liquid metal or plastic into a shaped container called a mold.

For teachers: a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is poured into a mold and allowed to solidify. Also refers to the resulting physical object.

- The artist created a bronze casting of the clay sculpture.
- The factory specialised in the casting of engine blocks, using a sand-mold technique that ensured high thermal resistance in the finished components.

### 3. changing data types

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the act of changing a piece of data from one type to another, like turning a number into text.

For teachers: the process of converting a value from one data type to another. Often involves explicit syntax to treat an object as a different class or primitive.

- You can use casting to turn a decimal number into a whole number in your code.
- The developer implemented explicit casting to ensure the floating-point result was correctly stored as an integer before the final calculation.

### 4. animal waste

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

the waste material left behind by earthworms or the undigested food brought up by birds of prey.

For teachers: the excreta of earthworms or the regurgitated pellets of indigestible material from hawks and other raptors.

- The gardener noticed worm castings in the soil, which is a sign of healthy earth.
- Ornithologists analysed the hawk's castings to determine the specific species of rodents present in the local ecosystem.

## Examples

- The programmer used casting to turn the integer into a float.
- Without proper casting, the division of two integers might result in an unexpected loss of precision in the final output.
- Explicit casting is often necessary when narrowing a data type, as the compiler requires the developer to acknowledge the potential for data loss during the conversion process.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.