throwaway
1 of 3adjective
throw·away ˈthrō-ə-ˌwā 
1
: designed to be thrown away : disposable
throwaway containers
2
: written or spoken (as in a play) in a low-key or unemphatic manner
throwaway lines
3
: nonchalant, casual
4
: marked by a tendency to discard things : overly wasteful
a throwaway society
throwaway
2 of 3noun
1
: one that is or is designed to be thrown away: such as
a
: a free handbill or circular
b
: a line of dialogue (as in a play) de-emphasized by casual delivery
especially : a joke or witticism delivered casually
2
: something made or done without care or interest
3
: a child who has been forced to leave home or who has run away from indifferent or hostile parents
throw away
3 of 3verb
threw away; thrown away; throwing away; throws away
transitive verb
1
a
: to get rid of as worthless or unnecessary
b
: discard sense 2b
2
a
: to use in a foolish or wasteful manner : squander
b
: to fail to take advantage of : waste
throw away an opportunity
3
: to make (something, such as a line in a play) unemphatic by casual delivery
Synonyms
Verb
- cashier
- cast (off)
- chuck
- deep-six
- discard
- ditch
- dump
- eighty-six
- 86
- exorcise
- exorcize
- fling (off or away)
- jettison
- junk
- lay by
- lose
- pitch
- reject
- scrap
- shed
- shuck (off)
- slough (off)
- sluff (off)
- throw out
- toss
- unload
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb I should throw away that torn shirt. if you buy a high-end computer, you'll just be throwing away money on a bunch of features you'll never use
Recent Examples on the Web
Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022 Modern dating culture often encourages a more throwaway attitude to relationships, but for Barbari, setting the right foundations is key to overcoming these challenges. Lizzie Cernik, refinery29.com, 27 Apr. 2022 Clever plotting—an early, seemingly throwaway scene in which Félix does some goofy martial-arts training turns out to be critical—and inventive character details enhance the wicked fun. Kyle Smith, WSJ, 16 June 2022 But while most launches over the past 60 years have involved throwaway launch vehicles, humanity should be moving toward sustainability, Jah says. Ramin Skibba, Wired, 17 Mar. 2022 However, through the ruse, a funny, throwaway moment in Return of the Jedi is better explained. Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Jan. 2022 There are no throwaway lines in Lesser Known Monsters; each story is rich and metamorphic, perfect for breaking the monotony of winter days. Wired Staff, Wired, 26 Nov. 2021 Name tags were throwaway stickers, not the usual recyclable kind. BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2021 The characters in Snake Eyes always seem to be in climax-speak mode; even the most throwaway lines are steeped in portent. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 July 2021 Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2022 There are also funny throwaway lines scattered along the way, including an overt Austen reference lest anyone have missed the parallels. Brian Lowry, CNN, 3 June 2022 Sure, toss in a throwaway reference for those who’ve done their outside work, a few Easter eggs for the devoted. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022 Using a throwaway email can also protect your account in other ways. Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 On a throwaway table are several folders of Sleeper’s personal photos from the Seventies: almost no people, some dogs, numerous marine sonar units, blurry features across an indistinct distance, water and land gone all muddy and milky. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 Many consumers also are concerned about the environmental impact of fashion, especially the throwaway-clothing model of fast-fashion chains. Suzanne Kapner, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 The Lo-Fis, a hodgepodge of demos, leaks and throwaway tracks. Cydney Lee, Billboard, 3 Aug. 2022 Shopping of all sorts is carried home in throwaway bags, and food is served on single-use dishes and trays. New York Times, 31 July 2022 See More
Adjective
Abomination appeared in a seemingly throwaway cameo in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, fighting Wong in an underground cage match. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2022 Modern dating culture often encourages a more throwaway attitude to relationships, but for Barbari, setting the right foundations is key to overcoming these challenges. Lizzie Cernik, refinery29.com, 27 Apr. 2022 Clever plotting—an early, seemingly throwaway scene in which Félix does some goofy martial-arts training turns out to be critical—and inventive character details enhance the wicked fun. Kyle Smith, WSJ, 16 June 2022 But while most launches over the past 60 years have involved throwaway launch vehicles, humanity should be moving toward sustainability, Jah says. Ramin Skibba, Wired, 17 Mar. 2022 However, through the ruse, a funny, throwaway moment in Return of the Jedi is better explained. Ryan Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Jan. 2022 There are no throwaway lines in Lesser Known Monsters; each story is rich and metamorphic, perfect for breaking the monotony of winter days. Wired Staff, Wired, 26 Nov. 2021 Name tags were throwaway stickers, not the usual recyclable kind. BostonGlobe.com, 29 July 2021 The characters in Snake Eyes always seem to be in climax-speak mode; even the most throwaway lines are steeped in portent. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 July 2021 Noun
Nearly every outlet that mined the harrowing anecdote for clicks—mostly local news sites and the trash-tier aggregators that choke your browser with pop-up ads—left out a few throwaway lines from the original Facebook post. Natalie Shure, The New Republic, 1 Aug. 2022 There are also funny throwaway lines scattered along the way, including an overt Austen reference lest anyone have missed the parallels. Brian Lowry, CNN, 3 June 2022 Sure, toss in a throwaway reference for those who’ve done their outside work, a few Easter eggs for the devoted. Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2022 Using a throwaway email can also protect your account in other ways. Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 On a throwaway table are several folders of Sleeper’s personal photos from the Seventies: almost no people, some dogs, numerous marine sonar units, blurry features across an indistinct distance, water and land gone all muddy and milky. Rafil Kroll-zaidi, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022 Many consumers also are concerned about the environmental impact of fashion, especially the throwaway-clothing model of fast-fashion chains. Suzanne Kapner, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022 The Lo-Fis, a hodgepodge of demos, leaks and throwaway tracks. Cydney Lee, Billboard, 3 Aug. 2022 Shopping of all sorts is carried home in throwaway bags, and food is served on single-use dishes and trays. New York Times, 31 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Adjective
1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
thrown away
verb
1
as in dumped
to get rid of as useless or unwanted I should throw away that torn shirt Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dumped
- lost
- discarded
- ditched
- tossed
- shed
- scrapped
- chucked
- thrown out
- unloaded
- disposed of
- laid by
- set aside
- jettisoned
- junked
- removed
- rejected
- sluffed (off)
- shucked (off)
- sloughed (off)
- abandoned
- exorcised
- flung (off or away)
- eliminated
- cashiered
- cast (off)
- kicked out
- exorcized
- dismissed
- wiped out
- eighty-sixed
- pitched
- deep-sixed
- forsaken
- abdicated
- 86'd
- deserted
- eradicated
- abolished
- expunged
- exterminated
- extirpated
- stamped (out)
- extinguished
- annihilated
- liquidated
- rooted (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- taken on
- adopted
- used
- employed
- utilized
- embraced
- held
- retained
- held back
- kept
2
as in spent
to use up carelessly if you buy a high-end computer, you'll just be throwing away money on a bunch of features you'll never use Synonyms & Similar Words
- spent
- lost
- wasted
- run through
- fiddled away
- played ducks and drakes with
- frittered (away)
- dissipated
- made ducks and drakes of
- squandered
- misspent
- blown
- trifled (away)
- lavished
- laid out
- consumed
- splurged
- exhausted
- depleted
- impoverished
- disbursed
- overindulged
- indulged
- overspent
- expended
- shot
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- conserved
- protected
- preserved
- laid up
- saved
- skimped
- economized
- hoarded
- scrimped