- throw
- throw, cast, fling, hurl, pitch, toss, sling can all mean to cause to move swiftly forward, sideways, upward, or downward by a propulsive movement (as of the arm) or by means of a propelling instrument or agency.Throw, the general word, is often interchangeable with the others; basically it implies a distinctive propelling motion of the bent arm and wrist, but in practice it is applicable in respect to almost any propulsive action{
people who live in glass houses should not throw stones
}{the fire engine throws a long stream of water
}{this gun throws a huge shell
}{threw off his coat
}{the skeptic cannot throw his opponent if his own feet are in the air— Inge
}Cast is sometimes interchangeable with throw, but it typically is used when what is thrown is light{cast a net
}{cast dice
}and is either directly aimed{cast his line in angling
}or scattered more or less carefully{cast seed
}or is thrown only in a figurative sense{cast a black look
}Fling implies more violence and less control in propulsion than either of the preceding words; it often implies a force gained from strong emotion (as anger, contempt, or enthusiasm){then he loathed his own beauty, and, flinging the mirror on the floor, crushed it into silver splinters beneath his heelWilde
}{the opening pages irritated him ... in the end, in exasperation, he flung them aside— Malamud
}Hurl stresses driving and impetuous force that makes for speed and distance in throwing{him the Almighty Power hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky— Milton
}Pitch sometimes means no more than to throw lightly or carelessly{could take up a sack of grain and with ease pitch it over a packsaddle— Zane Grey
}{when you get your new outfit, pitch out that dress— Ethel Wilson
}but distinctively it more than any of the preceding words stresses a sense of direction and a definite target in throwing{pitch horseshoes
}{pitching hay onto the high load
}{pitching matchbooks at a crack . . . was the favorite sport— James Jones
}{possible . . . to run up to their enemy's lines and roll, bowl, or pitch their grenades among the legs of their opponents— Wintringham
}Toss implies light, careless, or more or less aimless throwing{he . . . tossed me some pieces of money— Dickens
}{she rested on a log and tossed the fresh chips— Frost
}{toss a coin to decide who should go
}The term often also suggests a throwing to and fro or up and down{an hour's play in tossing a ball
}{they . . . discussed a doubt and tossed it to and fro— Tennyson
}Sling suggests propelling with a sweeping or swinging motion, usually with force and suddenness{grabbed the boy's collar and slung him against the wall
}
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
