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throw in the towel

throw in the tow·el
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [throh in stressed th ee tou-uh l, toul]
    • /θroʊ ɪn stressed ði ˈtaʊ əl, taʊl/
    • /θrəʊ ɪn ðə taʊəl/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [throh in stressed th ee tou-uh l, toul]
    • /θroʊ ɪn stressed ði ˈtaʊ əl, taʊl/

Definitions of throw in the towel words

  • noun throw in the towel an absorbent cloth or paper for wiping and drying something wet, as one for the hands, face, or body after washing or bathing. 1
  • verb with object throw in the towel to wipe or dry with a towel. 1
  • idioms throw in the towel throw in the towel, Informal. to concede defeat; give up; yield: He vowed he would never throw in the towel. 1
  • verbal expression throw in the towel give up, admit defeat 1
  • noun throw in the towel (in boxing) to concede defeat by the throwing of a towel (or sponge) into the ring by a second 0
  • noun throw in the towel to give in and accept defeat; discontinue a venture 0
See all 7 definitions of throw in the towel

Information block about the term

Origin of throw in the towel

First appearance:

before 1250
One of the 11% oldest English words
1250-1300; Middle English (noun) < Old French toaille cloth for washing or wiping < West Germanic *thwahliō (> Old High German dwahilla, akin to dwahal bath); cognate with Gothic thwahl, thwēal washing

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Throw in the towel

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Throw in the towel

throw in the towel popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 90% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

throw in the towel usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for throw in the towel

verb throw in the towel

  • abalienate — (civil law, transitive) To transfer the title of from one to another; to alienate.
  • accede — If you accede to someone's request, you do what they ask.
  • back out — If you back out, you decide not to do something that you previously agreed to do.
  • beg off — to ask to be released from an engagement, obligation, etc
All 59 Synonyms of throw in the towel

Antonyms for throw in the towel

verb throw in the towel

  • disacknowledge — (transitive) To refuse to acknowledge or recognize something; to disavow or deny.
Just one Antonym for throw in the towel

See also

Matching words

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