throw to the dogs

verb

To throw away as useless.

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Meanings

verbthrow to the dogs (third-person singular simple present throws to the dogs, present participle throwing to the dogs, simple past threw to the dogs, past participle thrown to the dogs)

present singular third person throws to the dogs · participle present throwing to the dogs · past threw to the dogs · participle past thrown to the dogs

  1. idiomaticTo throw away as useless.

    Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it.

    c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]
  2. idiomaticTo remove or cast out someone or something from one's protection, such as into the streets.
  3. idiomaticTo give up on something valuable.

    Let's hope it will not throw "to the dogs" its new-found opportunity for winning back public favor and respect.

    1945, Karl E. Ettinger, Public Relations Directory and Yearbook,, page 45

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
throw to the wolves
Cite this entry
APA

throw to the dogs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throw%20to%20the%20dogs

MLA

“throw to the dogs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throw%20to%20the%20dogs. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “throw to the dogs,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/throw%20to%20the%20dogs.

Source: throw to the dogs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.