1 B1 informal
To put on a piece of clothing quickly and without much care.
"I just threw on a jacket before heading out the door."
separable
throw on
B1 informal separable transitive
To put on clothing quickly and casually; also to add fuel to a fire.
In plain English
To put your clothes on very quickly without thinking much about it, or to add wood or coal to a fire.
What does "throw on" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To add fuel such as wood, coal, or logs to a fire to keep it burning.
"It's getting cold in here — could you throw another log on the fire?"
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To throw an item of clothing onto your body.
Actually means
To put your clothes on very quickly without thinking much about it, or to add wood or coal to a fire.
Usage tip
Strongly associated with getting dressed quickly and informally. Common in everyday spoken English. 'Throw on a jumper/jacket/coat' are very natural collocations. Also used when adding fuel to a fireplace or barbecue.
Words that pair with "throw on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
jumper jacket coat shirt clothes log
How to conjugate "throw on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
throw on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
throws on
he/she/it
Past simple
threw on
yesterday
Past participle
thrown on
have + pp
-ing form
throwing on
continuous
Hear "throw on" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "throw on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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