throw in the towel
English · Thesaurus
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throw in the towel
Where it comes from
From the traditional signal from a boxer's support staff of throwing such an item into a boxing ring to indicate that the contestant cannot continue the match and is forfeiting to the opponent.
verb throws in the towel · throwing in the towel · threw in the towel · thrown in the towel · throw the towel in
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To quit; to give up.
If their restaurant can't get business even on Mother's Day, it might be time for them to throw in the towel.
Similar: throw in the cards, throw in the sponge, throw up one's hands, throw up the sponge
Translations
Every language
verb (idiomatic) to quit; to give up
| Español | tirar la toalla, botar la toalla, tirar la toballa, tirar la tobaja |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 匙を投げる saji o nageru, お手上げ oteage |
| Português | jogar a toalha |
| Français | jeter l'éponge, jeter la serviette, jeter le manche après la cognée |
| Deutsch | das Handtuch werfen, den Hut draufhauen, die Flinte ins Korn werfen |
| Italiano | gettare la spugna, gettare le armi |
| Русский | подня́ть бе́лый флаг podnjátʹ bélyj flag, опусти́ть ру́ки opustítʹ rúki, сда́ться sdátʹsja, призна́ть своё пораже́ние priznátʹ svojó poražénije, призна́ть себя́ побежде́нным priznátʹ sebjá pobeždénnym, сложи́ть ору́жие složítʹ orúžije |
Talk about this word "throw in the towel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/throw%20in%20the%20towel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. throw in the towel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/throw%20in%20the%20towel "throw in the towel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/throw%20in%20the%20towel.Cite this
@misc{throw_in_the_towel_2026,
title = {throw in the towel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/throw%20in%20the%20towel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
