Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

throw in the towel

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.89 in modern English

Syllables: throw in the -tow-el
IPA

27

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To quit; to give up.

Example Sentences

"If their restaurant can't get business even on Mother's Day, it might be time for them to throw in the towel."
"In short, there was so much space and so many things to shove things behind that most people, called on to find a silver cow-creamer there, would have said “Oh, what's the use?” and thrown in the towel."
"One key imponderable is the attitude of the companies that will no longer have a role in the business. It is worth noting here that several have already thrown the towel in or been gently pushed out, such as Stagecoach and National Express."

Etymology

From the traditional signal from a boxer's support staff of throwing such an item into a boxing ring to indicate that the contestant cannot continue the match and is forfeiting to the opponent.

Inflected Forms

throws in the towel (present, singular) throwing in the towel (participle, present) threw in the towel (past) thrown in the towel (participle, past)

Phrases

throw to the dogs throw to the wolves

Frequently Paired Words

throw to the dogs throw to the wolves

Synonyms

throw in the cards throw in the sponge throw up one's hands throw up the sponge drop out give up fall by the wayside drop by the wayside throw in quit chuck up the sponge

Questions

What does throw in the towel mean?: To quit; to give up.
Where does throw in the towel come from?: From the traditional signal from a boxer's support staff of throwing such an item into a boxing ring to indicate that the contestant cannot continue the match and is forfeiting to the opponent.

How to pronounce throw in the towel

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “throw in the towel”.
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 in the towel”.
Repeat and practice — Say “throw in the towel” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.