Word
throw
US/ˈθɹoʊ/
UK/θɹˈəʊ/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
throw
Past
threw
Past participle
thrown
Definitions
01to hurl through the air
A2 · Elementary
v. to use your hand and arm to send something through the air.
v. to propel an object through the air by a rapid motion of the arm and hand.
日本語:投げる※
“The boy tried to throw the ball to his friend, but it landed in the bushes.”
“The athlete managed to throw the javelin further than any of his competitors during the final round of the championship.”
Antonyms
02to organize a party
B1 · Intermediate Informal
v. to plan and hold a party or a social event.
v. to organize and host a social gathering or celebration.
“We are going to throw a surprise party for my sister's birthday next week.”
“The company decided to throw a lavish gala to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary and thank its long-term investors.”
03to confuse
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
v. to make someone feel surprised or confused so they do not know what to do.
v. to cause someone to become confused, disconcerted, or momentarily unable to respond.
“The difficult question at the end of the interview really threw me.”
“The sudden change in the project's requirements threw the entire development team, forcing them to rethink their strategy.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
04to lose intentionally
C1 · Advanced Sports Informal
v. to lose a game or a race on purpose, usually for a dishonest reason.
v. to lose a contest or competition intentionally, often for personal gain or as part of a gambling scheme.
“The boxer was accused of trying to throw the fight for money.”
“Investigators looked into allegations that the team had been bribed to throw the match in the final minutes of play.”
05to signal an error
C1 · Advanced Computing Technical
v. to send a signal that something has gone wrong in a computer program.
v. to signal the occurrence of an exception or error during the execution of a program to an exception-handling routine.
“The system will throw an error if you try to enter a password that is too short.”
“The function is designed to throw an exception if the database connection fails, ensuring the application does not crash unexpectedly.”
06the act of throwing
A2 · Elementary Countable noun
n. the action of sending something through the air with your hand.
n. the act or instance of propelling something through the air.
“That was a great throw; the ball went exactly where you wanted it to.”
“The quarterback's final throw was a masterpiece of precision, landing perfectly in the receiver's hands despite the heavy defensive pressure.”
Antonyms
07a small blanket
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a small, decorative blanket that you put over a chair or sofa.
n. a light coverlet or decorative textile used to drape over furniture.
“She draped a blue throw over the back of the sofa to make the room look cozy.”
“The interior designer suggested adding a cashmere throw to the armchair to introduce a different texture to the living space.”
Etymology
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.
From Middle English, from Old English þrāh, þrāg (“space of time, period, while”). Of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Gothic 𐌸𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (þragjan, “to run”).
See throe.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
01. lock someone up and throw away the key
02. stone's throw
03. throw a bone to
04. throw a fit
05. throw a kiss
06. throw a monkey wrench in the works
07. throw a monkey wrench into the works
08. throw a spanner in the works
09. throw a sprat to catch a mackerel
10. throw a tantrum
Show all 63
12. throw a wobbly
14. throw a wrench in the gears
15. throw a wrench in the works
17. throw an eye
18. throw aside
19. throw away
23. throw down
25. throw dust in someone's eyes
26. throw good money after bad
27. throw in
30. throw in with
31. throw money away
33. throw off
36. throw one's cap over the windmill
37. throw one's hat in the ring
38. throw one's hat over the fence
39. throw one's hat over the wall
40. throw one's hotdog down someone's hallway
41. throw one's toys out of the pram
45. throw out
46. throw overboard
47. throw shade
48. throw shapes
50. throw spaghetti at the wall
51. throw stones
52. throw stones in a glass house
53. throw the baby out with the bathwater
55. throw the bull
57. throw things at the wall and see what sticks
63. throw wobblies
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A2 · ElementaryOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/throw
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0