Throw vs. Toss — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 4, 2024
Throw emphasizes a forceful action intending distance or speed, while toss suggests a lighter, more gentle motion, often underhand.
Difference Between Throw and Toss
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Throwing is generally associated with a stronger, more deliberate action aimed at achieving greater distance or speed. Athletes in sports like baseball or javelin throw with considerable force and precision. On the other hand, tossing is a more gentle and casual action, often done underhand. It is common in activities requiring a softer touch, like tossing a salad.
While throwing often involves a full arm or even body motion to maximize power and distance, tossing typically uses a flick of the wrist or a simple arm movement. This difference highlights the intent and energy behind each action, with throwing focusing on distance or speed and tossing on delicacy or casualness.
The context in which these terms are used also differs significantly. Throwing is frequently found in competitive sports and activities where performance is measured by how far or fast an object is propelled. Tossing, however, is more likely to appear in casual or non-competitive contexts, such as tossing a ball to a friend or tossing ingredients in a frying pan.
The choice between throw and toss can also convey the user's attitude or the action's purpose. Throwing might indicate a more serious or aggressive intention, while tossing suggests a lighter, more carefree approach. For example, one might throw a dart with competitive intent but toss a coin into a fountain casually.
In literature and everyday language, these terms are often used metaphorically to describe non-physical actions. Throwing oneself into a task suggests intense, focused effort, whereas tossing out an idea implies a more casual, tentative offering.
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Comparison Chart
Intensity
High, with force
Low, gentle
Motion
Full arm/body
Wrist flick/arm movement
Context
Competitive/sports
Casual/non-competitive
Purpose
Distance, speed
Delicacy, casualness
Metaphorical Use
Suggests intense effort (e.g., throw oneself into)
Suggests casual offering (e.g., toss out an idea)
Compare with Definitions
Throw
To organize, hold, or sponsor.
The company throws an annual party for its employees.
Toss
To throw lightly or casually.
He tossed the paper into the bin from his chair.
Throw
To propel something with force through the air by a movement of the arm and hand.
She threw the ball so hard it cleared the fence.
Toss
To flip a coin to decide something.
We'll toss for it; heads, I win, tails, you lose.
Throw
To project or cast (light, a shadow, etc.).
The lamp threw a bright light across the room.
Toss
To say something casually or carelessly.
She tossed a comment over her shoulder as she left.
Throw
To cause to enter suddenly a particular state or condition.
The news threw the community into chaos.
Toss
To move or cause to move from side to side or back and forth.
The boat tossed on the waves.
Throw
To move (a switch or lever) so as to activate, deactivate, or control a device.
Throw the switch to start the engine.
Toss
To mix lightly.
Toss the salad with a little olive oil.
Throw
To propel through the air with a motion of the hand or arm.
Toss
To throw lightly or casually or with a sudden jerk
Tossed the shirt on the floor.
Throw
To propel or discharge into the air by any means
A machine that throws tennis balls.
Ash that was thrown by an erupting volcano.
Toss
To throw or propel upward
The bull tossed him over the fence.
Throw
To cause to move with great force or speed; propel or displace
Threw themselves on the food.
Jetsam that had been thrown up onto the shore.
Toss
To throw or propel to the ground
The horse tossed its rider.
Throw
To force (an opponent) to the ground or floor, as in wrestling or the martial arts.
Toss
To cause to move from side to side or up and down
Boats that were tossed by the storm.
Throw
To cause to fall off
The horse threw its rider.
Toss
To move or lift (the head) with a sudden motion.
Throw
(Informal) To cause confusion or perplexity in; disconcert or nonplus
We didn't let our worries throw us.
Toss
To mix (food) lightly so as to cover with dressing or sauce
Toss a salad.
Throw
To put on or off hastily or carelessly
Throw on a jacket.
Toss
To discuss informally; bandy
Tossed the idea around.
Throw
To put suddenly or forcefully into a given condition, position, or activity
Threw him into a fit of laughter.
Threw some supper together.
Threw her leg over the arm of the chair.
Toss
To flip (coins) in order to decide an issue.
Throw
To devote, apply, or direct
Threw all their resources into the new endeavor.
Threw the blame onto the others.
Toss
To flip coins with
I'll toss you to see who goes first.
Throw
To form on a potter's wheel
Throw a vase.
Toss
To put in a given position, condition, or situation
Tossed the suspect in jail.
Throw
To twist (fibers) into thread.
Toss
To throw away; discard
I tossed the newspaper after reading it.
Throw
To roll (dice).
Toss
To disqualify or eject
The starter was tossed for throwing illegal pitches.
Throw
To roll (a particular combination) with dice.
Toss
To be thrown here and there; be flung to and fro or up and down
The canoe tossed about on the waves.
Throw
To discard or play (a card).
Toss
To move about restlessly; twist and turn
Toss in one's sleep.
Throw
To send forth; project
She threw me a look of encouragement.
Toss
To flip a coin to decide an issue.
Throw
To cause (one's voice) to seem to come from a source other than oneself.
Toss
The act of tossing something
The toss of a hat.
Throw
To cause to fall on or over something; cast
The rising sun threw shadows across the lawn. We threw sheets over the furniture before we painted the ceiling.
Toss
The distance that something is or can be tossed.
Throw
To bear (young). Used of cows or horses, for example.
Toss
An abrupt upward movement, as of the head.
Throw
To arrange or give (a party, for example).
Toss
A flipping of a coin to decide an issue
The home team won the toss and elected to receive.
Throw
To move (a lever or switch) in order to activate, deactivate, or control a device.
Toss
A throw, a lob, of a ball etc., with an initial upward direction, particularly with a lack of care.
Throw
(Informal) To lose or give up (a contest, for example) purposely.
Toss
The coin toss before a cricket match in order to decide who bats first, or before a football match in order to decide the direction of play.
Throw
To abandon oneself to; have
Heard the news and threw a fit.
Toss
A haughty throwing up of the head.
Throw
To commit (oneself), especially for leniency or support
Threw himself on the mercy of the court.
Toss
(British slang) A jot, in the phrase 'give a toss'.
I couldn't give a toss about her.
Throw
To deliver (a punch), as in boxing
Threw a left hook.
Toss
(British slang) A state of agitation; commotion.
Throw
To cast, fling, or hurl something.
Toss
Concern or consideration.
I don't give a toss.
Throw
The act or an instance of throwing.
Toss
A measure of sprats.
Throw
The distance to which something is or can be thrown
A stone's throw away.
Toss
To throw with an initial upward direction.
Toss it over here!
Throw
A roll or cast of dice.
Toss
To lift with a sudden or violent motion.
To toss the head
Throw
The combination of numbers so obtained.
Toss
To agitate; to make restless.
Throw
(Informal) A single chance, venture, or instance
"could afford up to forty-five bucks a throw to wax sentimental over their heritage" (John Simon).
Toss
To subject to trials; to harass.
Throw
(Sports) The act of throwing or a technique used to throw an opponent in wrestling or the martial arts.
Toss
To flip a coin, to decide a point of contention.
We should toss for it.
I'll toss you for it.
Throw
A light blanket or coverlet, such as an afghan.
Toss
To discard; to throw away.
I don't need it any more; you can just toss it.
Throw
A scarf or shawl.
Toss
To stir or mix (a salad).
To toss a salad; a tossed salad.
Throw
The radius of a circle described by a crank, cam, or similar machine part.
Toss
(British slang) To masturbate
Throw
The maximum displacement of a machine part moved by another part, such as a crank or cam.
Toss
To search (a room or a cell), sometimes leaving visible disorder, as for valuables or evidence of a crime.
Throw
(Geology) The amount of vertical displacement of a fault.
Toss
(intransitive) To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion.
Tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep
Throw
(transitive) To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.
Throw a shoe; throw a javelin; the horse threw its rider
Toss
(intransitive) To be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean, or as a ship in heavy seas.
Throw
(transitive) To eject or cause to fall off.
Toss
(obsolete) To keep in play; to tumble over.
Throw
(transitive) To move to another position or condition; to displace.
Throw the switch
Toss
(rowing) To peak (the oars), to lift them from the rowlocks and hold them perpendicularly, the handle resting on the bottom of the boat.
Throw
(ceramics) To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
Toss
(British slang) To drink in large draughts; to gulp.
Throw
To deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
Toss
To vomit.
Throw
To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.
If the file is read-only, the method throws an invalid-operation exception.
Toss
To throw with the hand; especially, to throw with the palm of the hand upward, or to throw upward; as, to toss a ball.
Throw
To intentionally lose a game.
The tennis player was accused of taking bribes to throw the match.
Toss
To lift or throw up with a sudden or violent motion; as, to toss the head.
He tossed his arm aloft, and proudly told me,He would not stay.
Throw
To confuse or mislead.
The deliberate red herring threw me at first.
Toss
To cause to rise and fall; as, a ship tossed on the waves in a storm.
We being exceedingly tossed with a tempest.
Throw
(figuratively) To send desperately.
Their sergeant threw the troops into pitched battle.
Toss
To agitate; to make restless.
Calm region once,And full of peace, now tossed and turbulent.
Throw
(transitive) To imprison.
The magistrate ordered the suspect to be thrown into jail.
Toss
Hence, to try; to harass.
Whom devils fly, thus is he tossed of men.
Throw
To organize an event, especially a party.
Toss
To keep in play; to tumble over; as, to spend four years in tossing the rules of grammar.
Throw
(ambitransitive) To roll (a die or dice).
Toss
To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion; to write; to fling.
To toss and fling, and to be restless, only frets and enrages our pain.
Throw
(transitive) To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
Toss
To be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean.
Throw
To discard.
Toss
A throwing upward, or with a jerk; the act of tossing; as, the toss of a ball.
Throw
(martial arts) To lift the opponent off the ground and bring him back down, especially into a position behind the thrower.
Toss
A throwing up of the head; a particular manner of raising the head with a jerk.
Throw
To change in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else.
Toss
The act of flipping a coin
Throw
(transitive) To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
Toss
(sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team;
The pass was fumbled
Throw
(transitive) To project or send forth.
Toss
An abrupt movement;
A toss of his head
Throw
To put on hastily; to spread carelessly. I don't see, that "spreading" could be any meaning of "putting on". Was it meant to be a second meaning?
Toss
Throw or toss with a light motion;
Flip me the beachball
Toss me newspaper
Throw
To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
Toss
Lightly throw to see which side comes up;
I don't know what to do--I may as well flip a coin!
Throw
To select (a pitcher); to assign a pitcher to a given role (such as starter or reliever).
Toss
Throw carelessly;
Chuck the ball
Throw
(transitive) To install (a bridge).
Toss
Move or stir about violently;
The feverish patient thrashed around in his bed
Throw
To twist or turn.
A thrown nail
Toss
Throw or cast away;
Put away your worries
Throw
(American football) pass
Toss
Agitate;
Toss the salad
Throw
To deliver.
Throw
Of animals: to give birth to (young).
Throw
Obsolete spelling of throe
Throw
The flight of a thrown object.
What a great throw by the quarterback!
Throw
The act of throwing something.
With an accurate throw, he lassoed the cow.
The gambler staked everything on one throw of the dice.
Throw
One's ability to throw.
He's got a girl's throw.
He's always had a pretty decent throw.
Throw
A distance travelled; displacement.
The throw of the piston
Throw
A piece of fabric used to cover a bed, sofa or other soft furnishing.
Throw
A single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance.
Football tickets are expensive at fifty bucks a throw.
Throw
(veterinary medicine) The act of giving birth in animals, especially in cows.
Throw
(obsolete) A moment, time, occasion.
Throw
(obsolete) A period of time; a while.
Throw
Obsolete spelling of throe
Throw
Pain; especially, pain of travail; throe.
Throw
Time; while; space of time; moment; trice.
I will with Thomas speak a little throw.
Throw
The act of hurling or flinging; a driving or propelling from the hand or an engine; a cast.
He heaved a stone, and, rising to the throw,He sent it in a whirlwind at the foe.
Throw
A stroke; a blow.
Nor shield defend the thunder of his throws.
Throw
The distance which a missile is, or may be, thrown; as, a stone's throw.
Throw
A cast of dice; the manner in which dice fall when cast; as, a good throw.
Throw
An effort; a violent sally.
Your youth admiresThe throws and swellings of a Roman soul.
Throw
The extreme movement given to a sliding or vibrating reciprocating piece by a cam, crank, eccentric, or the like; travel; stroke; as, the throw of a slide valve. Also, frequently, the length of the radius of a crank, or the eccentricity of an eccentric; as, the throw of the crank of a steam engine is equal to half the stroke of the piston.
Throw
A potter's wheel or table; a jigger. See 2d Jigger, 2 (a).
Throw
A turner's lathe; a throwe.
Throw
The amount of vertical displacement produced by a fault; - according to the direction it is designated as an upthrow, or a downthrow.
Throw
To fling, cast, or hurl with a certain whirling motion of the arm, to throw a ball; - distinguished from to toss, or to bowl.
Throw
To fling or cast in any manner; to drive to a distance from the hand or from an engine; to propel; to send; as, to throw stones or dust with the hand; a cannon throws a ball; a fire engine throws a stream of water to extinguish flames.
Throw
To drive by violence; as, a vessel or sailors may be thrown upon a rock.
Throw
To cause to take a strategic position; as, he threw a detachment of his army across the river.
Throw
To overturn; to prostrate in wrestling; as, a man throws his antagonist.
Throw
To cast, as dice; to venture at dice.
Set less than thou throwest.
Throw
To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
O'er his fair limbs a flowery vest he threw.
Throw
To divest or strip one's self of; to put off.
There the snake throws her enameled skin.
Throw
To form or shape roughly on a throwing engine, or potter's wheel, as earthen vessels.
Throw
To give forcible utterance to; to cast; to vent.
I have thrownA brave defiance in King Henry's teeth.
Throw
To bring forth; to produce, as young; to bear; - said especially of rabbits.
Throw
To twist two or more filaments of, as silk, so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; - sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
Throw
To perform the act of throwing or casting; to cast; specifically, to cast dice.
Throw
The act of throwing (propelling something through the air with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist);
The catcher made a good throw to second base
Throw
A single chance or instance;
He couldn't afford $50 a throw
Throw
The maximum movement available to a pivoted or reciprocating piece by a cam
Throw
The distance that something can be thrown;
It is just a stone's throw from here
Throw
Bedclothes consisting of a lightweight cloth covering (an afghan or bedspread) that is casually thrown over something
Throw
The throwing of an object in order to determine an outcome randomly;
He risked his fortune on a throw of the dice
Throw
Project through the air;
Throw a frisbee
Throw
Move violently, energetically, or carelessly;
She threw herself forwards
Throw
Get rid of;
He shed his image as a pushy boss
Shed your clothes
Throw
Place or put with great energy;
She threw the blanket around the child
Thrust the money in the hands of the beggar
Throw
Convey or communicate; of a smile, a look, a physical gesture;
Throw a glance
She gave me a dirty look
Throw
Cause to go on or to be engaged or set in operation;
Switch on the light
Throw the lever
Throw
Put or send forth;
She threw the flashlight beam into the corner
The setting sun threw long shadows
Cast a spell
Cast a warm light
Throw
To put into a state or activity hastily, suddenly, or carelessly;
Jane threw dinner together
Throw the car into reverse
Throw
Cause to be confused emotionally
Throw
Utter with force; utter vehemently;
Hurl insults
Throw accusations at someone
Throw
Organize or be responsible for;
Hold a reception
Have, throw, or make a party
Give a course
Throw
Make on a potter's wheel;
She threw a beautiful teapot
Throw
Cause to fall off;
The horse threw its unexperienced rider
Throw
Throw (a die) out onto a flat surface;
Throw a six
Throw
Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly;
These questions confuse even the experts
This question completely threw me
This question befuddled even the teacher
Common Curiosities
Can objects other than physical ones be tossed or thrown?
Yes, both terms are used metaphorically, such as throwing oneself into a task or tossing out an idea, to describe actions that are not physically throwing or tossing an object.
What is the primary difference between throw and toss?
The primary difference lies in the intensity and purpose; throwing is done with more force for distance or speed, while tossing is gentler, often used in casual or delicate contexts.
Can toss and throw be used interchangeably?
While they can sometimes be used interchangeably in casual speech, they have distinct nuances that make them more suitable for specific contexts.
Is toss always done underhand?
Tossing is commonly done underhand, especially in casual contexts, but the term can also apply to gentle, overhand motions in some situations.
Is throwing always an aggressive action?
Not necessarily. Although throwing is generally more forceful, it's not always aggressive and can be part of precise and controlled sports activities.
Is tossing considered less serious than throwing?
Generally, yes, as tossing implies a lighter, more casual action, it's often seen as less serious or intense than throwing.
Can you toss something with the intention of it going far?
While it's possible, tossing typically implies a lack of intent for distance, focusing more on the action's gentleness or casualness.
How does the context affect the use of throw vs. toss?
The context—whether it's sports, casual activity, or metaphorical usage—greatly influences the choice between throw and toss, reflecting the action's intent and intensity.
Can toss imply a lack of care?
Sometimes, tossing something can imply a casual or carefree attitude, which might be interpreted as a lack of care, depending on the context.
Do toss and throw have the same motion?
No, throwing usually involves a more significant arm or body movement, while tossing often uses a simple wrist flick or a gentle arm motion.
Are there activities where both throw and toss are used?
Yes, in some activities like games or cooking, both actions can be involved, each serving a different purpose or requiring a different approach.
Is there a physical difference in how you prepare to throw vs. toss something?
Yes, preparing to throw something usually involves more significant body movement and energy, focusing on power and precision, whereas preparing to toss something involves less energy, focusing on a gentle or precise movement.
What sports involve throwing?
Sports like baseball, javelin, discus, and shot put prominently feature throwing as a key component of the activity.
Can the choice between throw and toss affect the outcome of the action?
Yes, the choice can influence the force, direction, and intention behind the action, affecting the outcome in terms of distance, accuracy, or the action's perceived attitude.
How do you decide whether to use throw or toss in a sentence?
The decision depends on the action's force, intent, and context. If the action is forceful and aimed at achieving distance or speed, "throw" is more appropriate. For a gentle, casual action, "toss" fits better.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
