Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

throw up one's hands

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.20 in modern English

Syllables: throw up one's hands
IPA

28

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

1

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To raise both hands in the air in an exasperated manner.

Intransitive verb

verb

To cease an attempt because it is perceived as doomed.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"I see it warn't a bit of use to try to go ahead—I'd got to throw up my hands."
"I wanted to throw up my hands and say, "Thanks. See ya." But I couldn't walk away."
"So to us, the question isn't just "Does Vista suck?" but "Does Vista suck enough that businesses of any size should simply throw up their hands and migrate over to something else?""

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

throws up one's hands (present, singular) throwing up one's hands (participle, present) threw up one's hands (past) thrown up one's hands (participle, past)

Synonyms

give up throw in the towel

Questions

What does throw up one's hands mean?: To raise both hands in the air in an exasperated manner.

How to pronounce throw up one's hands

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