throw away
verbEtymology From throw + away. First attested in the late 14c.
1
To discard (trash, garbage, or the like), to toss out, to put in the trash.
- He wanted to throw away the cup, but he couldn't find a trash can.
- Don't throw the newspaper away, it goes in the recycle bin!
2
Figuratively To waste, to squander.
- Voting for a third-party candidate sometimes feels like throwing your vote away.
- The team threw away its chance at the semifinals.
2 more examples
- Mama, life has just begun. / But now I've gone and thrown it all away.1975, Freddie Mercury, “Bohemian Rhapsody” (song), in Queen (band), A Night at the Opera (album)
- Chelsea threw away two points when substitute Salomon Kalou gifted Valencia a penalty five minutes from time with a needless handball.2011 September 28, Jon Smith, “Valencia 1 - 1 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:
3
American football, Ball games, Football, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Slang To intentionally throw an incomplete pass.
4
Idiomatic To give lightly, in an offhand manner.
- As Gilly plays sitcom wife, reading aloud from a book while Sam tries to read his own across the table, she throws away a line about someone named Maynard once having annulled the marriage of someone named Prince Raggar and remarrying him in the same ceremony in Dorne.2017 August 13, Brandon Nowalk, “Oldtown offers one last game-changing secret as Game Of Thrones goes behind enemy lines (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club:
- Derived terms
- throw-away, throwaway, throw away the key, throw money away