toss
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toss¹
- /tɒs/ UK
- /tɔs/ US
- /tɑs/ cot caught merger
Rhymes with -ɒs
Where it comes from
From Middle English tossen (“to buffet about, agitate, toss; to sift or winnow”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old Norse (compare dialectal Norwegian tossa, dialectal Swedish tossa (“to strew, spread”)), or perhaps from an alteration of Middle English tosen (“to tease, pull apart, shred; to wound, injure”). Compare also Dutch tassen (“to pile or heap up, stack”).
The Welsh tos (“a quick jerk”) and tosio (“to jerk, toss”) are probably borrowed from the English.
noun tosses
- A throw, a lob, of a ball etc., with an initial upward direction, particularly with a lack of care.
- 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.
- A haughty throwing up of the head.
- Concern or consideration. I don't give a toss about her.
- A state of agitation; commotion. This put us at the board into a Tosse.
- A measure of sprats. It will differ from the heaped measure of oysters, improperly called the peck, by about one-seventh part in excess, and from the toss of sprats by about one-third part in excess.
- A handover from one presenter to another, announced by the first presenter. The introduction would still be done by the Monitor host in New York's Studio 5B, followed by the toss to the newsperson in Washington.
- Nonsense; drivel. Then I look again at this message. What a load of toss.
- An act of masturbation. And Uncle Frank is having a wank, And Auntie Floss is having a toss, With Grandad.
verb tosses · tossing · tossed · tost
-
To throw with an initial upward direction.
Toss it over here!
Similar: chuck, fling, bung, cast, chunk, cook, dash, dump, feck, jerk, heave, hield
- To lift with a sudden or violent motion. to toss the head
- To agitate; to make restless. Calm region once, And full of peace, now tossed and turbulent.
- To subject to trials; to harass. Whom devils fly, thus is he tossed of men.
- To flip a coin, to decide a point of contention. We should toss for it.
-
To discard; to throw away.
I don't need it any more; you can just toss it.
Similar: toss out, throw out, junk, 86, bin, can, cast aside, cast off, cast away, chuck, chuck away, chuck out
- To stir or mix (a salad). to toss a salad; a tossed salad.
-
To masturbate.
Similar: wank, abuse, bash one out, bate, beat it, beat off, crank one out, fap, frig, goon, jack off, jack it
- To search (a room or a cell), sometimes leaving visible disorder, as for valuables or evidence of a crime. John Orr had occasion to complain in writing to the senior supervisor that his Playboy and Penthouse magazines had been stolen by deputies. And he believed that was what prompted a random search of his cell for contraband. He was stripped, handcuffed, and forced to watch as they tossed his cell.
- To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion. tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep
-
To be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean, or as a ship in heavy seas.
Even now did the sea toss up upon our shore
Similar: bucket about, uptoss
- To keep in play; to tumble over. spend four or fiue yeares, in tossing all the rules of Grammer in common scholes
- To peak (the oars), to lift them from the rowlocks and hold them perpendicularly, the handle resting on the bottom of the boat.
-
To drink in large draughts; to gulp.
Their modest stole, to garish looser weed,
Deck'd with love-favours their late whoredoms' meed:
And where they wont sip of the simple flood,
Now toss they bowls of Bacchus' boiling blood,
Similar: chug, guzzle, drink, hydrate, imbibe, wet one's whistle, wet one's beak
-
To vomit.
Similar: chuck, hurl, bait, barf, be sick, blow chunks, boak, boke, boot, bork, bow down before the porcelain god, cast
TOSs²
noun
- plural of TOS
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: fling, thrash about, thrash, flip, throw out, toss out, throw away, chuck out, discard, convulse, cast aside, cast away, stir, pass, dispose, slash
Translations
Every language
noun throw, a lob, of a ball
| Español | tiro, lanzamiento, tirada |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 拋 /抛 pāo |
| Português | arremesso |
| Français | jet, lancer |
| Deutsch | Wurf |
| Italiano | tiro, lancio |
| Română | aruncare în sus |
| Русский | броса́ние brosánije, бросо́к brosók |
| עברית | זריקה zriká |
noun toss of a coin before a match
| Español | lanzamiento, volado, sorteo |
|---|---|
| Português | lançamento, moeda ao ar |
| Français | au pile ou face, tirage au sort, pile ou face |
| Deutsch | Münzwurf |
| Italiano | testa o croce, lancio moneta |
| Română | dai cu banul, cap sau pajură |
| Русский | жеребьёвка žerebʹjóvka |
| עברית | הטלה hatalá |
verb to throw with an initial upward direction
| Español | lanzar, arrojar, tirar, aventar, mantear |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 拋 /抛 pāo |
| Português | jogar, arremessar, tacar, lançar |
| Français | lancer |
| Deutsch | werfen |
| Italiano | tirare un pallonetto, lanciare |
| Română | arunca în sus, azvârli |
| Русский | броса́ть brosátʹ, подбра́сывать podbrásyvatʹ |
| עברית | זרק zarák, העיף he'íf |
verb to flip a coin
| Português | tirar cara ou coroa |
|---|---|
| Français | tirer à pile ou face |
| Deutsch | werfen |
| Italiano | tirare, fare testa o croce |
| Română | arunca cu banul |
| Русский | подбра́сывать podbrásyvatʹ |
| עברית | הטיל |
verb to discard
| Español | tirar, desechar |
|---|---|
| Português | descartar, jogar fora |
| Deutsch | verwerfen, wegwerfen |
| Italiano | gettare, buttare |
| Română | arunca |
| עברית | זרק zarák |
verb to stir or mix (a salad)
| Español | mezclar, revolver |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 混ぜ合わせる mazeawaseru |
| 中文 | 摇匀 yáoyún, 涼拌 /凉拌 liángbàn, 拌 bàn |
| Português | misturar |
| Français | mélanger, fatiguer, remuer |
| Deutsch | vermischen, vermengen, zusammenfügen |
| Italiano | rigirare, voltare, mescolare |
| Русский | переме́шивать pereméšivatʹ, перемеша́ть peremešátʹ |
verb to roll around as in restless sleep
| Deutsch | hin und her werfen |
|---|
verb to be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
| Português | jogar |
|---|
Talk about this word "toss." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/toss. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. toss. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/toss "toss." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/toss.Cite this
@misc{toss_2026,
title = {toss},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/toss},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
