ENGLISH
REFERENCE

thrown

adj.
US //ˈθɹoʊn// UK //θɹˈəʊn// thrown
  1. 1 confused or surprised (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    feeling confused or surprised by something unexpected.

    perplexed or disconcerted by an unexpected event or statement.

    Example

    I was a bit thrown by her sudden question about my salary.

    Example

    The candidate appeared visibly thrown by the interviewer's aggressive line of questioning regarding her previous employment history.
  2. 2 launched or tossed (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    describes something that has been moved through the air by hand.

    propelled through space by the force of a hand or a mechanical device.

    Example

    The thrown rock cracked the window of the empty house.

    Example

    The trajectory of a thrown object is determined by its initial velocity and the angle of release relative to the ground.
Origin

From Middle English throwen, from Old English þrāwen, ġeþrāwen, from Proto-Germanic þrēanaz, from Proto-Germanic þrēaną. Doublet of thran. Morphologically throw + -n.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 19, 2026