toss
toss — verb
- tosspresent simple I / you / we / they
- tosseshe / she / it
- tossedpast simple
- tossing-ing form
1. to send something flying through the air using a swift, relaxed motion of the ar
to send something flying through the air using a swift, relaxed motion of the arm, without much force or careful aim.
Rachid tossed his jacket onto the armchair as soon as he walked in.
toss + object + onto [surface]
Élise tossed the crumpled paper across the table at her brother.
Paloma tossed a pillow at Eli when he would not stop teasing her.
toss + object + at [person]
The children were tossing a tennis ball back and forth in the garden.
toss + object + back and forth
Beatrix tossed her keys to Stephanie so she could unlock the door.
- toss a ball
- toss keys
- toss a coin
- toss a jacket
- toss something into the bin
- catch
to receive something thrown
Grammar Patterns
toss + object + adverb/preposition phrase
toss + someone + something
Usage Note
Frequently paired with a preposition (into, onto, across, to) that shows where the object lands. Unlike throw, toss suggests a light, unhurried motion.
Common Mistakes
2. to lift and turn pieces of food such as salad leaves or pasta so that they becom
to lift and turn pieces of food such as salad leaves or pasta so that they become coated in oil, vinegar, or another liquid seasoning.
Padma tossed the salad with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
toss + food + with + ingredient
Ryo tossed the warm pasta with garlic and fresh basil leaves.
Aunt Rosa tossed the grilled vegetables in balsamic vinegar on the counter before serving them.
toss + food + in + [dressing]
Iker tossed the cucumber slices with rice vinegar and sesame for a quick side dish.
Aylin tossed the shrimp with lime juice and chilli flakes before grilling them.
- toss a salad
- toss pasta
- toss vegetables
- toss with dressing
- toss in oil
Grammar Patterns
toss + food + with + ingredient
Usage Note
The object is always the food being mixed, not the dressing. You toss the salad with dressing, not the dressing with salad.
Common Mistakes
3. to flip a pancake or similar flat food over by giving the pan a quick upward jer
to flip a pancake or similar flat food over by giving the pan a quick upward jerk, so that it turns in the air and lands back in the pan to cook on the other side.
Christopher tossed the pancake high in the air and caught it perfectly in the pan.
toss + pancake + in the air
Lien tried to toss the pancake, but it landed on the stove by mistake.
Eli watched his grandfather toss pancakes without ever dropping a single one.
Aylin giggled as she tossed her first pancake and it flipped over twice.
- toss a pancake
- toss a crêpe
- toss an omelette
- flip
more general; can be done with a spatula instead of the pan
Grammar Patterns
toss + object + into the air
Usage Note
Nearly always used with pancake, crêpe, or omelette as the object. The action requires a quick upward and slightly backward jerk of the pan.
Common Mistakes
4. to suddenly throw your head, hair, or another body part upward and backward in a
to suddenly throw your head, hair, or another body part upward and backward in a brisk, often expressive gesture.
Stephanie tossed her hair back and smiled confidently at the camera.
toss + possessive + hair + back
Rachid tossed his head in frustration when he heard the bad news.
The chestnut mare tossed its mane and galloped across the field.
Élise tossed her long braid over her shoulder and continued reading her book.
toss + object + over [body part]
- toss hair
- toss head
- toss mane
- toss braid
- fling
more forceful, often suggests anger
- throw back
more explicit about direction, less common
Grammar Patterns
toss + possessive + body part
toss + possessive + head
Usage Note
Often implies a deliberate, expressive gesture — showing confidence, annoyance, or impatience. Also used for horses tossing their manes or heads.
Common Mistakes
5. to repeatedly roll your body left and right while lying in bed, typically becaus
to repeatedly roll your body left and right while lying in bed, typically because you are unable to fall asleep or are feeling uneasy.
Ryo tossed and turned in his stuffy room all night because the window fan had broken.
idiom: toss and turn
Lien lay awake in the dark, tossing in her bed and worrying about the exam.
The baby was tossing about in his sleep after the long car ride.
toss about
Beatrix tossed restlessly under the covers, unable to stop thinking about the argument.
After drinking too much coffee, Paloma spent the whole night tossing in her bed.
- toss and turn
- toss about
- toss restlessly
- toss in bed
- sleep soundly
to sleep without moving or waking
Grammar Patterns
toss and turn
Usage Note
Very commonly used in the fixed phrase toss and turn, which describes restless sleep. Toss alone or toss about also works but is less frequent.
Common Mistakes
6. to flip a coin into the air so it spins and lands, using the outcome to settle a
to flip a coin into the air so it spins and lands, using the outcome to settle a choice between two options.
Eli and Paloma tossed a coin to decide who would wash the dishes.
toss + coin + to decide [something]
The referee tossed the coin before the match to choose which side would kick off.
Rachid said, "Let's toss for it — heads I drive, tails you drive."
toss for [choice]
Christopher tossed the coin and caught it on the back of his hand.
Iker tossed Aylin for the last slice of pizza and lost.
toss + person + for [stakes]
- toss a coin
- toss for it
- win the toss
- lose the toss
- coin toss
Grammar Patterns
toss + coin
toss for + something
toss someone for something
Usage Note
Can be used transitively (toss a coin) or intransitively (let's toss). In British English, toss for something is common. In American English, flip a coin is more frequent for this sense.
Common Mistakes
7. to force a player, coach, or manager out of a sports event as a penalty for brea
to force a player, coach, or manager out of a sports event as a penalty for breaking a rule or misconduct.
The umpire tossed the pitcher out of the game for arguing with the call.
toss + player + out of + [game]
Padma was tossed from the match after receiving her second yellow card.
passive: be tossed from [match]
The head coach was tossed out of the stadium for shouting at the officials.
Iker could not believe it when the referee tossed him for a minor foul.
- toss a player out
- toss from a game
- get tossed
- be tossed out
Grammar Patterns
be tossed + out of + [game/match]
be tossed + from + [sporting event]
Usage Note
Usually passive (be/get tossed). Common in baseball, cricket, and American football. In British English, sent off is more common for football (soccer).
8. to discard something you no longer want or need by placing it into a dustbin or
to discard something you no longer want or need by placing it into a dustbin or recycling container.
Aylin tossed the empty milk carton into the recycling bin.
toss + object + into [bin]
Stephanie decided to toss her old notebooks after the semester ended.
Ryo tossed out the broken fan that had been sitting in the garage for years.
toss out
Do not toss that cardboard box — I can use it for the school project.
- toss something out
- toss in the bin
- toss in the trash
- throw away
neutral register, more common in writing
- discard
formal, suitable for official contexts
- chuck
very informal British English
- keep
to hold onto something instead of discarding it
Grammar Patterns
toss + object + into + [bin/trash]
toss + object + out
Usage Note
Informal equivalent of throw away. Often used with out (toss out). Not suitable for formal or academic writing.
Common Mistakes
toss off
phrasal verbTo do or say something quickly and without much effort.
Maya tossed off a quick reply to the email.
Can you toss off a short speech for the ceremony?
toss — noun
- tosssingular
- tossesplural
1. a short, fast upward or backward motion of the head, hair, or another body part,
a short, fast upward or backward motion of the head, hair, or another body part, often expressing a feeling or attitude.
With a quick toss of her head, Paloma signalled that we should follow her.
a toss of [possessive] + [body part]
The horse gave an impatient toss of its mane and trotted away.
Yuna gave an annoyed toss of her head and walked away without saying a word.
Lien saw the toss of her brother's head as he tried to see the stage.
- a toss of the head
- a toss of the hair
- a toss of the mane
Usage Note
Typically describes an expressive gesture — the movement communicates attitude (dismissal, impatience, confidence). Often paired with of + body part.
2. the action of sending a coin spinning into the air to pick between two options b
the action of sending a coin spinning into the air to pick between two options by chance, or the privilege gained from winning that action.
The team captain won the toss and chose to bat first.
win/lose the toss
The roommates settled the argument over the window seat with a coin toss — Zola called heads and won.
a toss of a coin
Eli lost the toss and had to go first in the spelling bee.
The toss gave our team the right to kick off in the second half.
Rachid called heads on the toss and won the right to choose the movie.
- win the toss
- lose the toss
- coin toss
- call the toss
Usage Note
Very common in sports contexts. Win/lose the toss is a fixed expression. The noun toss here refers to both the action and the decision that results from it.
3. the outcome of calling heads or tails on a coin that has been flipped into the a
the outcome of calling heads or tails on a coin that has been flipped into the air, used in phrases such as a good toss or a bad toss.
Ryo called heads on the coin toss, won, and got to serve first in the tiebreaker match.
guess right/wrong on the toss
Jude guessed wrong on the toss, so the visiting team chose which end of the field to defend first.
Aylin called heads on the toss and was correct, so she chose the blue team.
call heads/tails on the toss
Watanabe called the toss correctly, chose the shaded side of the court, and gained an advantage in the afternoon heat.
- right toss
- wrong toss
- good toss
- bad toss
- call the toss
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 is the act of tossing; sense 3 is the correctness of the guess. Used in phrases like a good toss (=correct guess) or a bad toss (=wrong guess).
Common Mistakes
4. a motion in which you send an object through the air in a casual, unhurried mann
a motion in which you send an object through the air in a casual, unhurried manner, without worrying where it will land.
Beatrix caught the keys with one hand after her lazy toss across the room.
The toddler's wild toss of the toy car sent it flying into the flower pot.
Iker's casual toss of the ball went straight into the neighbour's garden.
casual toss
With a careless toss, Stephanie threw the apple core into the compost bin.
Christopher's annoyed toss of the magazine told everyone he was bored.
- a careless toss
- a casual toss
- a quick toss
- with a toss
- catch
the act of receiving something thrown
Usage Note
Often used in a disapproving way, suggesting the throw was too careless or could have caused a problem. Can be paired with adjectives like careless, casual, lazy, quick.
Word family
- tossernounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/6
Toss, flip, throw, and spin all describe sending a coin into the air to decide something by chance, but they differ slightly. Toss is the most neutral and works in both British and American English — you toss a coin to decide who goes first. Flip is the dominant term in American English; Americans are far more likely to say "flip a coin" than "toss a coin." Throw is broader and less idiomatic for this specific purpose — if you say "I threw the coin," it sounds like you simply launched it, not that you were deciding anything. Spin is less common but refers to setting a coin spinning on a flat surface rather than sending it into the air. For example: "Eli flipped a coin to decide the pizza order" (US), while "the referee tossed the coin at Wembley" (UK).
Common collocations
Etymology
The origin of toss is uncertain, but the word first appeared in English around the 1500s. It may come from a Scandinavian source, related to the Norwegian word 'tosa' meaning to throw or to spread. The meaning was originally 'to throw lightly or casually,' and by the 1600s it had also developed the sense of 'tossing a coin' to decide something. The phrase 'toss and turn' for restless sleep dates from the 1700s.