Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

throw a bone to

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.31 in modern English

Syllables: throw a bone -to
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To provide support or assistance to, especially in one particular way or to a limited extent; to make a concession to.

Example Sentences

"There was considerable uneasiness in the bosoms of others of the Directors. […] [T]hey knew that Lord Alfred had sold shares, and had received the profit. […] And if there was so much cause to fear Lord Alfred that it was necessary to throw him a bone, why should not they also make themselves feared?"
"The union […] "regretted that the President thought it necessary to throw a bone to the anti-labor bloc" by saying the act would prevent strikes."
"Throwing a bone to the banks, it will allow a 4% increase in overseas loans next year."
"The Dallas Cowboys yesterday gave a starting job to Alexander Wright, in effect throwing him a bone."
"Can you remind me what I pay you people for? Honestly, throw me a bone here. What do we have?"
"And he did it on the day the Senate threw a bone to President Bush's evangelical base by voting on a Constitutional amendment declaring that only a union of a man and a woman constitutes marriage."

Etymology

An allusion to the act of throwing a bone as food to a hungry dog.

Inflected Forms

throws a bone to (present, singular) throwing a bone to (participle, present) threw a bone to (past) thrown a bone to (participle, past)

Frequently Paired Words

toss a bone to throw someone a bone throw someone a rope give someone a hand lend a hand

Questions

What does throw a bone to mean?: To provide support or assistance to, especially in one particular way or to a limited extent; to make a concession to.
Where does throw a bone to come from?: An allusion to the act of throwing a bone as food to a hungry dog.

How to pronounce throw a bone to

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “throw a bone to”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “throw a bone to”.
Repeat and practice — Say “throw a bone to” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.