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throw out

A2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

Get rid of something you don't want, or make someone leave a place.

Literal meaning: To physically hurl something in an outward direction.

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

To discard something no longer wanted or needed.

"We threw out a pile of old magazines when we moved house."

"I throw out everything I don't need."

— Marie Kondo, 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up', 2011
Grammar: separable
2 A2 informal

To force a person to leave a place; to eject or expel someone.

"The bouncer threw out the rowdy customer for causing a scene."

Grammar: separable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral

To reject or dismiss a proposal, idea, or legal case.

"The judge threw out the lawsuit due to lack of evidence."

"The case was thrown out of court."

— Common legal reporting phrase, widely used in news media (e.g. The Guardian, BBC News)
Grammar: separable
4 B2 idiomatic informal

To mention or suggest something casually, without serious intent.

"She threw out a few ideas during the meeting, just to get the conversation started."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Very common in everyday British and American English. When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'throw' and 'out' (e.g. 'throw it out', not 'throw out it'). In legal/formal contexts, 'throw out' a case means to dismiss it officially.

Commonly used with

rubbish case idea suggestion tenant old clothes

Forms

Base
throw out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
throws out
he/she/it
Past simple
threw out
yesterday
Past participle
thrown out
have + pp
-ing form
throwing out
continuous

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Synonyms

discard dispose of toss out get rid of eject dismiss

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