Meanings
toss1
plural tosses
- countableuncountableball gamesThe 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.
- countableuncountableA haughty throwing up of the head.
- countableuncountableBillingsgate Fish Market slangA 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.
1834, Sir Charles William Pasley, “That the cubic foot is the smallest measure, which ought to be used in wholesale dealings in fish or fruit”, in Observations on the expediency and practicability of simplifying and improving the measures, weights and money, used in this country, without materially altering the present standards, page 96 - UKslanguncountableNonsense; drivel.
Then I look again at this message. What a load of toss.
2012 February 16, Sean Thomas, Millions of Women are Waiting to Meet You: A Story of Life, Love and Internet Dating, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 1012 more examples
'You were,' John said, with infinite love, 'talking such absolute toss.'
2018 June 28, Caitlin Moran, How to be Famous, Random House, →ISBNI always thought that the breathing thing was a load of toss, but it helped calm me big time.
2019 September 5, Brian Conaghan, The M Word, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN - UKcountableuncountablevulgarAn act of masturbation.
Men don't chat about having a toss. We just don't. It's not comfortable.
2017 March 23, Mark Nethercote, A Time for Grace, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN2 more examples
And Uncle Frank is having a wank, And Auntie Floss is having a toss, With Grandad.
1983, N. G. N. Kelsey, quoting an anonymous playground song, Games, Rhymes, and Wordplay of London Children, Springer, published 2019, →ISBN, page 436This girl was a wank, a toss, something to be used over and over again, even when she was a pensioner; the pictures would be around till the next millennium.
2008 September 4, Martina Cole, Faces: A chilling thriller of loyalty and betrayal, Hachette UK, →ISBN
present singular third person tosses · participle present tossing · participle past tossed · past tossed · obsolete participle past tost · obsolete past tost
- To throw with an initial upward direction.
Toss it over here!
1 more example
President Trump posted an AI-generated video on Thursday on Truth Social that showed him tossing a “Trump 2028” hat at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
2025 October 3, Ryan Mancini, “Trump posts AI video throwing 'Trump 2028' hat at Jeffries”, in The Hill, archived from the original on 04 Oct 2025Synonyms: chuck, fling, bung, cast, chuck, chunk, cook, dash
- To lift with a sudden or violent motion.
to toss the head
2 more examples
He tossed his arm aloft, and proudly told me, He would not stay.
1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i, page 50"Over the bender," said Wisp, with a laugh, tossing his thumb over his left shoulder as he spoke.
1835, Charles Whitehead, The Autobiography of Jack Ketch, page 74 - To agitate; to make restless.
Calm region once, And full of peace, now tossed and turbulent.
1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC - To subject to trials; to harass.
Whom devils fly, thus is he tossed of men.
[1633], George Herbert, edited by [Nicholas Ferrar], The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC - To flip a coin, to decide a point of contention.
I'll toss you for it.
1 more example
We should toss for it.
- informaltransitiveTo discard; to throw away.
I don't need it any more; you can just toss it.
Synonyms: toss out, throw out, junk, 86, bin, can, cast aside, cast off
- UKslangTo masturbate.
Synonyms: wank, abuse, bash one out, bate, beat it, beat off, crank one out, fap
- informaltransitiveTo search (a room or a cell), sometimes leaving visible disorder, as for valuables or evidence of a crime.
Rankin and Willingham, when they tossed his cell, they took Polaroids so they could get everything back in place.
2009, Thomas Harris, Red Dragon2 more examples
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.
2003, Joseph Wambaugh, Fire Lover, page 258Hayes had watched him toss a room before. He had tapped walls, gotten down on his hands and knees and studied the floor, inspected books and lamps and bric-abrac.
2011, Linda Howard, Kill and Tell: A Novel - intransitiveTo roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion.
tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep
2 more examples
“We can’t stand this, you know,” the young Englishmen said to each other; and they tossed about all night more boisterously than they had tossed upon the Atlantic billows.
1878, Henry James, An International EpisodeSenseless tossing about at night before sleep comes on is often obviated by a healthful fatigue from a pleasant occupation, provided the fatigue is not sufficient to shatter the nerves. Simple measures, such as “counting sheep,” is a gentle soporific, and may be amplified by the more scholarly, as Kant did, who would think of a word such as “Cicero,” and delve into all the ramifications the thought suggested, until his mental faculties were gradually enmeshed in the veil of sleep.
1928 December 15, Frank J. Hirschboeck, “Treatment of Functional Heart Disease”, in The Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 91, number 24, →DOI, page 1855 - intransitiveTo 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
c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]Synonyms: bucket about, uptoss
- obsoleteTo keep in play; to tumble over.
spend four or fiue yeares, in tossing all the rules of Grammer in common scholes
a. 1569 (date written), Roger Ascham, edited by Margaret Ascham, The Scholemaster: Or Plaine and Perfite Way of Teaching Children, to Vnderstand, Write, and Speake, the Latin Tong, […], London: […] John Daye, […], published 1570, →OCLC - hobbiesTo peak (the oars), to lift them from the rowlocks and hold them perpendicularly, the handle resting on the bottom of the boat.
- UKslangTo drink in large draughts; to gulp.
Why, forſooth, an you think ſo, you had beſt go to bed. For my part, I mean to toſs a Can, and remember my Sweet-Heart, afore I turn in; may-hap I may dream of her.
1695, [William] Congreve, Love for Love: A Comedy. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene xv, page 541 more example
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,
1597, Joseph Hall, “Satire II”, in Satires, Chiswick: C. Whittingham, published 1824, page 7Synonyms: chug, guzzle, drink, hydrate, imbibe, wet one's whistle, wet one's beak
TOSs2
- pluralplural of TOS
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo throw with an initial upward direction.
verbTo discard; to throw away.
verbTo masturbate.
verbTo be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean, or as a ship in heavy seas.
verbTo drink in large draughts; to gulp.
verbTo vomit.
More synonyms by meaning
verbmove or stir about violently
verbthrow or cast away
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishtosen“to tease, pull apart, shred; to wound, injure”
- Middle Englishtossen“to buffet about, agitate, toss; to sift or winnow”
- Englishtoss
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.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian хвърляне, жребий
- хвърляне (hvărljane)throw, a lob, of a ball
- жребий (žrebij)toss of a coin before a match
- хвърлям (hvărljam)to throw with an initial upward direction
- мятам (mjatam)to throw with an initial upward direction
- подхвърлям (podhvărljam)to flip a coin
- отхвърлям (othvărljam)to discard
- мятам се (mjatam se)to roll around as in restless sleep
- нося се (nosja se)to be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
Catalan tirada
- tiradatoss of a coin before a match
Chinese Mandarin 拋 /抛, 拋 /抛
- 拋 /抛 (pāo)throw, a lob, of a ball
- 拋 /抛 (pāo)to throw with an initial upward direction
- 摇匀 (yáoyún)to stir or mix (a salad)
- 涼拌 /凉拌 (liángbàn)to stir or mix (a salad)
- 拌 (bàn)to stir or mix (a salad)
Dutch opgooi, opgooien
- opgooitoss of a coin before a match
- opgooiento throw with an initial upward direction
- opwerpento throw with an initial upward direction
Esperanto ĵeti
- ĵetito throw with an initial upward direction
Finnish heitto, kolikonheitto
- heittothrow, a lob, of a ball
- kolikonheittotoss of a coin before a match
- heittääto throw with an initial upward direction
- heittääto flip a coin
- heittää menemäänto discard
- heittää poisto discard
- sekoittaato stir or mix (a salad)
French jet, lancer
- jetthrow, a lob, of a ball
- lancerthrow, a lob, of a ball
- au pile ou facetoss of a coin before a match
- tirage au sorttoss of a coin before a match
- pile ou facetoss of a coin before a match
- lancerto throw with an initial upward direction
- tirer à pile ou faceto flip a coin
- mélangerto stir or mix (a salad)
- fatiguerto stir or mix (a salad)
- remuerto stir or mix (a salad)
German Wurf, Münzwurf
- Wurfthrow, a lob, of a ball
- Münzwurftoss of a coin before a match
- werfento throw with an initial upward direction
- werfento flip a coin
- verwerfento discard
- wegwerfento discard
- vermischento stir or mix (a salad)
- vermengento stir or mix (a salad)
- zusammenfügento stir or mix (a salad)
- hin und her werfento roll around as in restless sleep
Hawaiian hulei, hūleilei
- huleito throw with an initial upward direction
- hūleileito throw with an initial upward direction
Hebrew זריקה, הטלה
- זריקה (zriká)throw, a lob, of a ball
- הטלה (hatalá)toss of a coin before a match
- זרק (zarák)to throw with an initial upward direction
- העיף (he'íf)to throw with an initial upward direction
- הטילto flip a coin
- זרק (zarák)to discard
Hungarian dobás, hajítás
- dobásthrow, a lob, of a ball
- hajításthrow, a lob, of a ball
- eldobásthrow, a lob, of a ball
- elhajításthrow, a lob, of a ball
- dobto throw with an initial upward direction
- hajítto throw with an initial upward direction
- eldobto throw with an initial upward direction
- elhajítto throw with an initial upward direction
- feldob egy pénztto flip a coin
- feldob egy pénzdarabotto flip a coin
- eldobto discard
- hányódikto be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
- hánykolódikto be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
Irish suaith
- suaithto stir or mix (a salad)
Italian tiro, lancio
- tirothrow, a lob, of a ball
- lanciothrow, a lob, of a ball
- testa o crocetoss of a coin before a match
- lancio monetatoss of a coin before a match
- tirare un pallonettoto throw with an initial upward direction
- lanciareto throw with an initial upward direction
- tirareto flip a coin
- fare testa o croceto flip a coin
- gettareto discard
- buttareto discard
- rigirareto stir or mix (a salad)
- voltareto stir or mix (a salad)
- mescolareto stir or mix (a salad)
Japanese 混ぜ合わせる
- 混ぜ合わせる (mazeawaseru)to stir or mix (a salad)
Malay lambung, tos
- lambungto throw with an initial upward direction
- tosto throw with an initial upward direction
- buangto discard
- gaulto stir or mix (a salad)
- kacauto stir or mix (a salad)
- bergulingto roll around as in restless sleep
- lambungto be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
Māori taiperepere, pore
- taiperepereto throw with an initial upward direction
- poreto roll around as in restless sleep
- whakarukeruketo roll around as in restless sleep
- tārikato roll around as in restless sleep
- pakokito be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
Norwegian kast, flipp
- kastthrow, a lob, of a ball
- flipptoss of a coin before a match
- kasttoss of a coin before a match
- myntkasttoss of a coin before a match
- flippeto flip a coin
- kasteto flip a coin
Polish rzut, rzucenie
- rzutthrow, a lob, of a ball
- rzuceniethrow, a lob, of a ball
- rzuttoss of a coin before a match
- rzucaćto throw with an initial upward direction
- rzucićto throw with an initial upward direction
Portuguese arremesso, lançamento
- arremessothrow, a lob, of a ball
- lançamentotoss of a coin before a match
- moeda ao artoss of a coin before a match
- jogarto throw with an initial upward direction
- arremessarto throw with an initial upward direction
- tacarto throw with an initial upward direction
- lançarto throw with an initial upward direction
- tirar cara ou coroato flip a coin
- descartarto discard
- jogar forato discard
- misturarto stir or mix (a salad)
- jogarto be thrown around as a ship in rough seas etc
Romanian aruncare în sus, dai cu banul
- aruncare în susthrow, a lob, of a ball
- dai cu banultoss of a coin before a match
- cap sau pajurătoss of a coin before a match
- arunca în susto throw with an initial upward direction
- azvârlito throw with an initial upward direction
- arunca cu banulto flip a coin
- aruncato discard
Russian броса́ние, бросо́к
- броса́ние (brosánije)throw, a lob, of a ball
- бросо́к (brosók)throw, a lob, of a ball
- жеребьёвка (žerebʹjóvka)toss of a coin before a match
- броса́ть (brosátʹ)to throw with an initial upward direction
- подбра́сывать (podbrásyvatʹ)to throw with an initial upward direction
- подбра́сывать (podbrásyvatʹ)to flip a coin
- переме́шивать (pereméšivatʹ)to stir or mix (a salad)
- перемеша́ть (peremešátʹ)to stir or mix (a salad)
Spanish tiro, lanzamiento
- tirothrow, a lob, of a ball
- lanzamientothrow, a lob, of a ball
- tiradathrow, a lob, of a ball
- lanzamientotoss of a coin before a match
- voladotoss of a coin before a match
- sorteotoss of a coin before a match
- lanzarto throw with an initial upward direction
- arrojarto throw with an initial upward direction
- tirarto throw with an initial upward direction
- aventarto throw with an initial upward direction
- mantearto throw with an initial upward direction
- tirarto discard
- desecharto discard
- mezclarto stir or mix (a salad)
- revolverto stir or mix (a salad)
Swedish kast, slantsingling
- kastthrow, a lob, of a ball
- slantsinglingtoss of a coin before a match
- kastato throw with an initial upward direction
- slängato throw with an initial upward direction
- langato throw with an initial upward direction
- hystato throw with an initial upward direction
- hivato throw with an initial upward direction
- singlato flip a coin
- slängato discard
- kastato discard
- slungato stir or mix (a salad)
Turkish atma
- atmathrow, a lob, of a ball
Ukrainian кида́ння, по́штовх
- кида́ння (kydánnja)throw, a lob, of a ball
- по́штовх (póštovx)throw, a lob, of a ball
- же́реб (žéreb)toss of a coin before a match
Welsh hwsgip
- hwsgiptoss of a coin before a match
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with toss
Cite this entry
toss. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toss
“toss.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toss. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toss,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toss.
Source: toss on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.