throw back

present singular third person throws back · participle present throwing back · past threw back · participle past thrown back

1. transitiveTo hinder the development of something.
2. intransitiveTo revert to an earlier stage of development.

   The Century A large proportion of the steerage passengers throw back to their Darwinian ancestry.

3. transitiveTo retort.

   She jumped to her feet and began stalking away. “Going to cost me fifteen dollars to clean this outfit,” she threw back over her shoulder.

   2011, Delores Haltom, The Stonecutter: How the Word Became Flesh, page 120

4. transitiveTo drink quickly, especially alcoholic beverages.

   We threw back drinks until the next morning.

   1 more example

   “He and I used to throw back beers every now and then when I was with the Bureau.” Shaw grinned arrogantly.

   2021 July 8, James Patterson, Adam Hamdy, Private Rogue: (Private 16), Random House, →ISBN

   Synonyms: toss off

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see throw, back.

   I threw back my head and laughed uproariously.

   2 more examples

   We caught several fish in the river but threw them back.

   We all raised our glasses, threw them back. I was getting better, but I still felt the alcohol harder than Stephen ever had.

   2017, Andrew Massie, In the Shadows of My Mind, page 197