English Reference

Phrasal verb

chuck out

Definition

phrasal verb. to throw something away because you do not want it anymore. You can also use this when a person is forced to leave a place.

phrasal verb. to discard an unwanted item; by extension, to forcibly eject a person from a venue or organization. Highly informal register.

Examples

“I need to chuck out these old magazines.”

“The security guard had to chuck out the man for shouting during the movie.”

“After the audit revealed several discrepancies, the committee decided to chuck out the previous year's financial reports and start over.”

Examples

simple

“I need to chuck out these old magazines.”

contextual

“The security guard had to chuck out the man for shouting during the movie.”

complex

“After the audit revealed several discrepancies, the committee decided to chuck out the previous year's financial reports and start over.”

Usage

very common in British English; the object can go before or after 'out'.

Teaching tip

this is a more casual, colorful alternative to 'throw away' or 'discard'; it captures the physical motion of throwing something carelessly.

Pitfall

I chucked out it.

I chucked it out.

when the object is a pronoun like 'it' or 'them', it must go between the verb and the particle.

Phrasal verb

Particles

out

Separability

optional

Pattern

chuck + (object) + out

Synonyms

tossdumpthrow awayget rid of

Antonyms

Grammar

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/chuck-out

English Reference