throw away

1. To discard or dispose of something; to get rid of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "throw" and "away." He threw away the wrapper after he finished eating the candy bar. I can't believe you threw my mother's card away!

2. To waste, misuse, or mismanage. A noun or pronoun can be used between "throw" and "away." They threw away their lead in the second half of the game with a series of foolish, avoidable mistakes. It's great that you're earning a bit of money, but don't throw it away on stuff you don't need.

3. To fail to properly use or take advantage of something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "throw" and "away." With her grades, she could have gone to the top universities in the country, but she threw it away to go to New York to be an actor. The company is throwing away the goodwill of their customers with this horrible new subscription service.

4. To say or utter something casually, carelessly, or in an offhand manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "throw" and "away." She threw away a remark that her son would be taking over the department. In its financial earnings report, the company's CEO threw the news away that they would be selling their mobile division.

5. In American football, to intentionally throw an incomplete pass. A noun or pronoun can be used between "throw" and "away." Realizing he was about to be tackled, the quarterback decided to throw it away.

See also: away, throw

throwaway

Said without much thought, care, or conviction. Used before a noun. He made some throwaway comment about my appearance, and now it's all I've been thinking about all day. He's always slipping a few throwaway jokes into his presentations on the fly.

throw something away

to toss something out; to dispose of something. Should I throw this away? Don't throw away anything that might be useful.

See also: away, throw

throw away

1. Also, throw or toss out . Dispose of, discard, as in This coat is too good to throw away, or Did you throw out the rest of the milk? or She tossed out all his old letters. [First half of 1500s]

2. Waste, fail to use, as in She's thrown away her inheritance on all kinds of foolish enterprises, or He's thrown away his chances for an engineering job. [Mid-1600s]

3. Also, throw out. Utter or perform in an offhand, seemingly careless way, as in He threw away the news that their summer cottage had been broken into, or She threw out some suggestions for changing the bylaws. [First half of 1900s]

See also: away, throw

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

throw away

1. To get rid of something as useless; discard something: I threw away yesterday's newspaper. They gave us extra tickets, but we threw them away.

2. To fail to take advantage of something: They threw away a chance to make a fortune. The students had an opportunity for a great education, but they threw it away.

3. To waste or use something in a foolish way: He threw away his inheritance on poor investments. She won some money in the lottery, but she threw it away.

4. To utter or perform something in an offhand, seemingly careless way: The play's villain throws away the news that the house has burned down.

5. Sports To throw some football so that the pass is ruled incomplete: Unable to find an open receiver, the quarterback threw the ball away. The quarterback threw away the football to stop the clock.

See also: away, throw

throw-away

1. n. a flyer or handbill. I passed out the throw-aways, but not many people would take them.

2. n. a comedian’s quickly uttered one-line joke. He tossed off his best throw-away of the evening just as the curtain fell.

See also: