- 1[transitive] to throw something lightly or carelessly toss something + adv./prep. I tossed the book aside and got up. toss something to somebody He tossed the ball to Anna. toss somebody something He tossed Anna the ball. Synonymsthrowtoss hurl fling chuck lob bowl pitchThese words all mean to send something from your hand through the air.throw to send something from your hand or hands through the air:Some kids were throwing stones at the window. She threw the ball and he caught it.toss to throw something lightly or carelessly:She tossed her jacket onto the bed.hurl to throw something violently in a particular direction:Rioters hurled a brick through the car’s windscreen.fling to throw somebody/something somewhere with a lot of force, especially because you are angry or in a hurry:She flung the letter down onto the table.chuck (especially British English, informal) to throw something carelessly:I chucked him the keys.lob (informal) to throw something so that it goes high through the air:They were lobbing stones over the wall.bowl (in cricket) to throw the ball to the batsmanpitch (in baseball) to throw the ball to the batterPatterns to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch something at/to somebody/something to throw/toss/fling/chuck something aside/away to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck/lob/bowl/pitch a ball to throw/toss/hurl/fling/chuck stones/rocks/a brick to throw/toss/hurl/fling something angrily to throw/toss something casually/carelessly Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbcarelessly, casually, unceremoniously, … prepositioninto, out of, to, … See full entry your head
- 2[transitive] toss something to move your head suddenly upwards, especially to show that you are annoyed or impatient She just tossed her head and walked off. side to side/up and down
- 3[intransitive, transitive] to move or make somebody/something move from side to side or up and down Branches were tossing in the wind. I couldn't sleep but kept tossing and turning in bed all night. toss somebody/something Our boat was being tossed by the huge waves. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbrestlessly, about, around, … phrasestoss and turn See full entry in cooking
- 4[transitive] toss something to shake or turn food in order to cover it with oil, butter, etc. Drain the pasta and toss it in melted butter. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbgently, lightly, well, … prepositionin See full entry
- 5[transitive] toss a pancake (British English) to throw a pancake upwards so that it turns over in the air and you can fry the other side coin
- 6[transitive, intransitive] to throw a coin in the air in order to decide something, especially by guessing which side is facing upwards when it lands synonym flip toss something Let's toss a coin. (especially British English) toss (somebody) for something There's only one ticket left—I'll toss you for it. (British English) toss up (for something) We tossed up to see who went first. (British English) toss up between A and B (figurative) He had to toss up between (= decide between) paying the rent or buying food. related noun toss-up Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbcarelessly, casually, unceremoniously, … prepositioninto, out of, to, … See full entry Word Originearly 16th cent.: of unknown origin.Extra examples He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. He tossed the letter over to me. He was tossed about in his boat. It’s an idea that gets tossed around from time to time. She picked up the package and casually tossed it into her bag. She tossed about restlessly all night with a high fever. She tossed back her blonde hair. The bodies were unceremoniously tossed into mass graves. The improvements had to be tossed overboard because of lack of money. Toss the vegetables lightly in olive oil. I got up, tossing aside my book. She tossed her jacket onto the bed. Phrasal Verbstoss off
toss
verbBrE BrE//tɒs//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːs//, NAmE//tɑːs//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they toss BrE BrE//tɒs//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːs//, NAmE//tɑːs//
he / she / it tosses BrE BrE//ˈtɒsɪz//; NAmE NAmE//ˈtɔːsɪz//, NAmE//ˈtɑːsɪz//
past simple tossed BrE BrE//tɒst//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːst//, NAmE//tɑːst//
past participle tossed BrE BrE//tɒst//; NAmE NAmE//tɔːst//, NAmE//tɑːst//
-ing form tossing BrE BrE//ˈtɒsɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈtɔːsɪŋ//, NAmE//ˈtɑːsɪŋ//
Check pronunciation: toss
