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cast off

B2 neutral separable both
In simple words

To untie a boat and sail away, or to get rid of something you no longer want, or to finish knitting.

Literal meaning: To cast (throw) something off — away from oneself.

Meanings

1 B2 neutral

(nautical) To release a boat from its mooring by untying the ropes, allowing it to set sail.

"The crew cast off at dawn and the yacht glided silently out of the harbour."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic formal

To reject, abandon, or free oneself from something or someone.

"After years of struggle, she finally cast off the expectations her family had placed on her."

"Cast off the works of darkness."

— Romans 13:12, King James Bible, 1611
Grammar: separable
3 B2 neutral

(knitting) To finish knitting by securing the last row of stitches so they do not unravel.

"She cast off the last row and snipped the yarn, holding up the finished scarf."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Has three quite distinct senses: nautical (untying a boat), metaphorical (rejecting/abandoning something or someone), and knitting (finishing stitches). Context usually makes meaning clear. The metaphorical sense often implies liberation.

Commonly used with

mooring rope chains burden stitches shackles

Forms

Base
cast off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
casts off
he/she/it
Past simple
casted off
yesterday
Past participle
casted off
have + pp
-ing form
casting off
continuous

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Synonyms

untie unfasten discard shed abandon reject

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