throw something away

1 she hated throwing old clothes away: DISCARD, throw out, dispose of, get rid of, do away with, toss out, scrap, throw on the scrap heap, clear out, dump, jettison; informal chuck (away/out), ditch, bin, junk, get shut of; Brit. informal get shot of.

2 Cambridge threw away a 15–0 lead: SQUANDER, waste, fritter away, fail to exploit, lose, let slip; informal blow, throw something down the drain.

→ throw

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1) discard something as useless or unwanted

■ waste or fail to make use of an opportunity or advantage

I've thrown away my chances in life

■ discard a playing card in a game

2) (of an actor) deliver a line with deliberate underemphasis for increased dramatic effect

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ˌthrow sthaˈway derived

1. (also ˌthrow sthˈout) to get rid of sth that you no longer want

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I don't need that— you can throw it away.

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That old chair should be thrown away.

2. to fail to make use of sth; to waste sth

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to throw away an opportunity

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You must take the exam— you can't throw away all that work!

see also ↑throwaway

Main entry: ↑throw_derived