toss
verb /tɒs/
/tɔːs/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they toss | /tɒs/ /tɔːs/ |
| he / she / it tosses | /ˈtɒsɪz/ /ˈtɔːsɪz/ |
| past simple tossed | /tɒst/ /tɔːst/ |
| past participle tossed | /tɒst/ /tɔːst/ |
| -ing form tossing | /ˈtɒsɪŋ/ /ˈtɔːsɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] to throw something lightly or carelessly
- toss something + adv./prep. I tossed the book aside and got up.
- toss something to somebody He tossed the ball to Anna.
- toss somebody something He tossed Anna the ball.
Synonyms throwthrow- toss
- hurl
- fling
- chuck
- lob
- bowl
- pitch
- throw to send something from your hand or hands through the air:
- Some kids were throwing stones at the window.
- She threw the ball and he caught it.
- toss to throw something lightly or carelessly:
- She tossed her jacket onto the bed.
- hurl to throw something violently in a particular direction:
- Rioters hurled a brick through the car’s windscreen.
- fling to throw somebody/something somewhere with a lot of force, especially because you are angry or in a hurry:
- She flung the letter down onto the table.
- chuck (especially British English, informal) to throw something carelessly:
- I chucked him the keys.
- lob (informal) to throw something so that it goes high through the air:
- They were lobbing stones over the wall.
- bowl (in cricket) to throw the ball to the batsman
- pitch (in baseball) to throw the ball to the batter
- to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch something at/to somebody/something
- to throw/toss/fling/chuck something aside/away
- to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch a ball
- to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck stones/rocks/a brick
- to throw/toss/hurl/fling something angrily
- to throw/toss something casually/carelessly
Extra Examples- He tossed the letter over to me.
- She tossed her jacket onto the bed.
- She picked up the package and casually tossed it into her bag.
- The bodies were unceremoniously tossed into mass graves.
- (figurative) The improvements had to be tossed overboard because of lack of money.
- (figurative) It's an idea that gets tossed around from time to time.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carelessly
- casually
- unceremoniously
- …
- into
- out of
- to
- …
- [transitive, intransitive] to throw a coin in the air in order to decide something, especially by guessing which side is facing upwards when it lands synonym flip
- toss something Let's toss a coin.
- toss (somebody) for something (especially British English) There's only one ticket left—I'll toss you for it.
- toss up (for something) (British English) We tossed up to see who went first.
- toss up between A and B (British English, figurative) He had to toss up between (= decide between) paying the rent or buying food.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- carelessly
- casually
- unceremoniously
- …
- into
- out of
- to
- …
- [transitive] toss something to move your head suddenly upwards, especially to show that you are annoyed or impatient
- She just tossed her head and walked off.
- She tossed back her blonde hair.
- [intransitive, transitive] to move or make somebody/something move from side to side or up and down
- Branches were tossing in the wind.
- I couldn't sleep but kept tossing and turning in bed all night.
- She tossed about restlessly all night with a high fever.
- toss somebody/something Our boat was being tossed by the huge waves.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- restlessly
- about
- around
- …
- toss and turn
- [transitive] toss something to shake or turn food in order to cover it with oil, butter, etc.
- Drain the pasta and toss it in melted butter.
- Toss the vegetables lightly in olive oil.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- gently
- lightly
- well
- …
- in
- [transitive] toss a pancake (British English) to throw a pancake upwards so that it turns over in the air and lands back in the frying pan so you can fry the other side
throw
coin
your head
side to side/up and down
in cooking
Word Originearly 16th cent.: of unknown origin.