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."
inseparable
cast off
B2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To release a boat from its mooring; to discard or reject something; to finish knitting by securing the last stitches.
In plain English
To untie a boat and sail away, or to get rid of something you no longer want, or to finish knitting.
What does "cast off" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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
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."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To cast (throw) something off — away from oneself.
Actually means
To untie a boat and sail away, or to get rid of something you no longer want, or to finish knitting.
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "cast off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
mooring rope chains burden stitches shackles
How to conjugate "cast off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "cast off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "cast off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "cast off"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
abandon discard reject shed unfasten untie
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