toss
/tɒs
/verb
1 [with object and adverbial of direction] Throw (something) somewhere lightly or casually: Suzy tossed her bag on to the sofa [with two objects]: she tossed me a box of matches...
- I reached home and casually tossed the baggie onto a table.
- Jonnie shuts the phone and casually tosses it onto the dresser.
- The doctor slumps back in his chair, and casually tosses his glasses onto the paper-stacked desk.
Synonyms
throw, hurl, cast, fling, sling, pitch, shy, lob, propel, launch, project, send, dash, bowl
informal heave, chuck, bung
1.1 [with object] (Of a horse) throw (a rider) off its back.Diving into the nearby meadow, she could do nothing but glance up in horror as the horse reared and tossed its rider onto a grassy patch beside her....
- My three year old stud colt had tossed me right in the middle of the arena.
- Zimmerman was tossed to the ground and was hit slightly by a passing horse when he attempted to get to the inside rail.
1.2 [with object] Throw (a coin) into the air in order to make a decision between two alternatives, based on which side of the coin faces uppermost when it lands: we could just toss a coin [no object]: he tossed up between courgettes and tomatoes and courgettes won...
- It was a try - I never put my foot in touch - but the linesman was tossing the coin for decisions all game so I didn't know what he'd say.
- Archie is an indecisive Englishman who can only make a decision after tossing a coin.
- If you were a quantum mechanic tossing a coin, it would land on the table, but no particular side would be facing up until you looked at it.
Synonyms
flip, flick, spin, twist
1.3 [with object] Settle a matter with (someone) by tossing a coin: I’ll toss you for it
2Move or cause to move from side to side or back and forth: [no object]: the trees tossed in the wind [with object]: the yachts were tossed around like toys in the harbour (as adjective, in combination -tossed) tempest-tossed and shipwrecked mariners...
- I could tell his leg was broken by the way it didn't move with the rest of him as he tossed and turned, I could tell it was hurting just to do so.
- I tossed and turned, not due to any specific problem, but in retrospect, I realize I was worried about him going to school.
- I could not get to sleep last night, I just tossed and turned until I finally did fall asleep at about 6: 30AM.
Synonyms
flail, thrash about, roll, tumble;
jerk, twitch, wriggle, writhe, squirm
lurch, reel, list, keel, veer, labour, flounder, plunge, rock, roll, sway, undulate, pitch, heave, wallow, make heavy weather;
Nautical pitchpole
2.1 [with object] Jerk (one’s head or hair) sharply backwards: Paula pursed her lips and tossed her head she stood up, tossing her hair out of her eyes...
- Nicole voiced in confusion, her newly blonde-streaked brown hair swishing as she tossed her head up to look at us.
- The light breeze caught her hair and sent it flying backwards as she tossed her head.
- She tossed her long hair backwards and gallantly stood awaiting my reaction.
Synonyms
throw back, jerk, jolt
2.2 [with object] Shake or turn (food) in a liquid, so as to coat it lightly: toss the pasta in the sauce...
- Shake skillet, tossing beans to coat with oil, garlic, and breadcrumbs.
- Later, the girls all sat down for a rather light meal consisting of chicken, curry, tossed salad, and baked potatoes.
- Drizzle dressing over chicken mixture, tossing to coat salad ingredients evenly.
Synonyms
shake, stir, turn, churn, mix, combine
3 [with object] North American informal Search (a place): I could demand her keys and toss her office
noun
1An act or instance of tossing something: a defiant toss of her head the toss of a coin...
- Come on, this whodunit tale is quite engrossing with its frequent tosses, turns and twists.
- He was probably sitting upright in bed, his untidy brown hair, that I teased never had seen a hair brush before, in a horrifying mess, from all the tosses and turns he made in his sleep.
- He blocked errant pitches in the dirt, expertly framed borderline tosses, turning them into strikes and worked masterfully with pitchers.
Synonyms
jerk, jolt, throw;
cast, fling, hurl, heave, delivery, lob
1.1 (the toss) The action of tossing a coin as a method of deciding which team has the right to make a particular decision at the beginning of a game: Somerset won the toss and chose to bat...
- In three of them, the team winning the toss won the games.
- It goes without saying any team which wins the toss will choose to bat.
- Winning the toss isn't such a blessing here - in nine games, the team losing the toss has won on seven occasions, including the last five ODIs.
Phrases
give (or care) a toss
take a toss
toss one's cookies
tossing the caber
toss it in
toss a pancake
Phrasal verbs
toss something off
toss someone/oneself off (or toss off)
Origin
Early 16th century: of unknown origin.