as in to dump
to get rid of as useless or unwanted
once she became rich and didn't need them anymore, she cast off all her old friends like so much junk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in discarded
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cast (off)
Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
The 49ers, under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, have not shied away from bringing back castoffs.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Ira, so with a trade the team will be Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jovic and a bunch of G Leaguers or castoffs.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
In the most roundabout way possible, an agency castoff had become the soul and voice of K-pop's greatest cultural phenomenon yet.
—Sheldon Pearce, NPR, 29 Jan. 2026
Women aren’t simply looking for grandma’s castoffs, though.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
Receiver Skyy Moore, a Kansas City Chiefs castoff, started in motion to his right and then came back left as quarterback Brock Purdy received a snap from under center.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
And in the latest transaction for one of the Yankees’ AL rivals, that has meant a new home for a recent castoff.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Pat Saperstein, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
The Patriots patched their defensive line with players like Cory Durden, a Giants cast-off who proved worthy of a starting spot at least for one night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 2 Dec. 2025
Women in elegant African-print dresses carry burdens on their heads; men in cast-off Western clothes push wooden carts laden with potatoes and carrots.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Close to cast-off time, the tour company canceled the excursion.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2025
And its current depth chart at the position is headed by Anthony Richardson and New York Giants cast-off Daniel Jones.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2025
Horák had similarly repurposed cast-off items to deliver a vegetarian course of cavatelli pasta.
—Christine Muhlke, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
There was blood cast-off on the walls in various places, including above Xana's body.
—Robert Birsel
hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
The object doesn’t display a large tail or enveloping coma of cast-off gas, only a hint of dust—but that is expected to change soon.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 16 July 2025
Noun
The Swedish textile recycler and the Finnish material innovator worked together to turn castoff clothing into new fibers back when Circulose was known as Renewcell and under its pre-bankruptcy management.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
The 49ers, under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, have not shied away from bringing back castoffs.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
Ira, so with a trade the team will be Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jovic and a bunch of G Leaguers or castoffs.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
In the most roundabout way possible, an agency castoff had become the soul and voice of K-pop's greatest cultural phenomenon yet.
—Sheldon Pearce, NPR, 29 Jan. 2026
Women aren’t simply looking for grandma’s castoffs, though.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
The overarching idea, which brands like Adidas have played with to varying degrees of success, is that making everything out of a single material eliminates the need to strip castoff garments of fiddly buttons and zippers, a time-consuming and often expensive process.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 20 Jan. 2026
Receiver Skyy Moore, a Kansas City Chiefs castoff, started in motion to his right and then came back left as quarterback Brock Purdy received a snap from under center.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
And in the latest transaction for one of the Yankees’ AL rivals, that has meant a new home for a recent castoff.
—Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Even better, EcoSet’s Materials Oasis provides a wide array of supplies free of charge to non-profits like schools and other organizations that can make use of cast-off sets, furniture, art supplies and assorted props.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
The Patriots patched their defensive line with players like Cory Durden, a Giants cast-off who proved worthy of a starting spot at least for one night.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 2 Dec. 2025
Women in elegant African-print dresses carry burdens on their heads; men in cast-off Western clothes push wooden carts laden with potatoes and carrots.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Close to cast-off time, the tour company canceled the excursion.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2025
And its current depth chart at the position is headed by Anthony Richardson and New York Giants cast-off Daniel Jones.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2025
Horák had similarly repurposed cast-off items to deliver a vegetarian course of cavatelli pasta.
—Christine Muhlke, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2025
There was blood cast-off on the walls in various places, including above Xana's body.
—Robert Birsel
hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
The object doesn’t display a large tail or enveloping coma of cast-off gas, only a hint of dust—but that is expected to change soon.
—Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 16 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cast (off)
Verb
-
The Level 5 accident dumped radioactive contamination across Europe and it is thought that traces of isotope iodine-131 may have caused several hundred cancer diagnoses.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Next to it was one of the vast open spaces where the city of Ottawa carted and dumped the snow removed from city streets—a vast mountain range of gray-white that survived into the heat of early summer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Today, there are hundreds of rejects packed in wood cabinets and cardboard boxes.—
Steve Hartman,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
At first glance, the collection seemed to be a paean to rejects.—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In another development, researchers in the US developed a new method that could turn discarded data center hardware into a reliable, eco-friendly source of rare earths and valuable metals.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
And, while most people don't regularly watch VHS tapes anymore, discarding tapes with family memories on them might leave you with some regret.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
-
One thing that the Loverboy founder discarded was a fellow cast member leaking it, as phones have to be tucked away behind a pillow.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Viewers got to watch 24 castaways—four of whom came from previous seasons of Australian Survivor, three of whom have appeared on other reality TV shows, and 17 brand-new contestants—live on emote islands, compete in challenges, and vote each other off the show.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Carving out a little lane of their own is ØWay, a supergroup of castaways big enough to fill every position on a baseball field.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The lot was filled with junked cars, equipment and garbage, the report shows.—
Kellie Love,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Ulta Buy More, Save More Sale couldn’t have come at a better time—we’re officially ditching the beanies and letting our hair out.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Kerss is a master at breaking the complicated information down into manageable bites for those of us who ditched science after high school.—
Heather Greenwood Davis,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This attention at long last is sweet revenge for so many years as an outcast.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
It’s based on the dramatic and emotionally wrenching personal life of Southern Gothic author Carson McCullers, a physically frail but powerful novelist, adept at portraying the loneliness and isolation of misfits and outcasts.—
Marcia Luttrell,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cast (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cast%20%28off%29. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
