Definitions
01to throw lightly
B1 · Intermediate
v. to throw something lightly or carelessly, often with an upward motion.
v. to throw something with a light, casual, or careless motion, typically using an underhand or upward trajectory.
日本語:放る※
“He tossed the car keys to her across the kitchen table.”
“She tossed the crumpled draft into the wastepaper basket without a second thought, frustrated by her lack of progress.”
02to flip a coin
B1 · Intermediate
v. to throw a coin into the air to make a decision based on which side lands up.
v. to flip a coin into the air to decide a matter by chance or to determine the start of a sporting event.
日本語:トスする※
“Let's toss a coin to see who has to wash the dishes tonight.”
“The referee gathered the two captains in the centre of the pitch to toss the coin and determine which side would kick off.”
03to mix food
B1 · Intermediate Cooking
v. to mix food, like a salad or pasta, by moving it around lightly.
v. to mix ingredients lightly by lifting and dropping them repeatedly, ensuring an even coating of dressing or sauce.
“Toss the salad with some olive oil and lemon juice before serving.”
“The chef instructed the apprentice to toss the pasta gently in the pan to ensure every strand was coated in the garlic butter.”
04to move restlessly
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to move around a lot in bed because you cannot sleep.
v. to move restlessly or turbulently; frequently used in the phrase 'toss and turn' regarding sleep.
“I spent the whole night tossing and turning because of the heat.”
“The small boat began to toss violently as the storm moved in from the Atlantic, making the passengers feel quite uneasy.”
Antonyms
05to search a room
C1 · Advanced Informal
v. to search a place quickly and roughly, often leaving it messy.
v. to search a room or building thoroughly and often destructively, typically in the context of a police raid or a burglary.
“The burglars tossed the entire apartment looking for hidden jewellery.”
“The detectives had clearly tossed the suspect's office, leaving filing cabinets open and papers scattered across the floor.”
06a light throw
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. the act of throwing something lightly.
n. an instance of throwing something with a light or casual motion.
“With a quick toss, he sent the ball over the fence to the children.”
“A casual toss of the bouquet followed the ceremony, with several guests scrambling to catch the flowers.”
07nonsense
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun British English · Slang
n. something that is rubbish or total nonsense.
n. a term for nonsense or something of very poor quality.
“Don't listen to him; he's talking absolute toss.”
“The critics dismissed the new play as complete toss, citing the weak dialogue and predictable plot as its main failings.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “toss” in context.
Verb
01. carelessly toss the keys
“He carelessly tossed the keys onto the coffee table as soon as he walked through the door.”
adv + verb + noun
02. toss a coin to decide
“Since we couldn't agree on which movie to watch, we decided to toss a coin to decide.”
verb + noun + infinitive
03. toss and turn
“I spent the entire night tossing and turning, unable to get a wink of sleep before the exam.”
verb + and + verb
04. toss the ball back
“The child laughed and tossed the ball back to his father in the park.”
verb + noun + adv
05. toss the salad with dressing
“She lightly tossed the salad with a balsamic dressing just before serving the guests.”
verb + noun + prep + noun
Adverb
06. casually toss the coat
“She casually tossed her coat over the back of the chair and sat down.”
adv + verb + noun
07. toss the paper aside
“He read the headline and tossed the paper aside in frustration.”
verb + noun + adv
Real-World Examples
“Tongue claimed 5-46 and Robinson 5-51 to skittle Pakistan for 171 after England won the toss.” “She rewards fans with a few of Glinda's signature hair tosses , external and, more importantly, a two-hour show that highlights the incredible agility of the star's voice.” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
01. send for a toss
- 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.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL 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: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/toss
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR