toss off
phrasal verb
tossed off; tossing off; tosses off
1
informal
: to produce (something) quickly and without much effort
He tossed off a few lines of poetry.
2
informal
: to drink (something) quickly
He tossed off a shot of whiskey.
3
British, informal + impolite
: to touch or rub one's own sexual organs for sexual pleasure : to masturbate
Examples of toss off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But there’s nothing admirable about tossing off absurd and impossible solutions to intractable dilemmas.
—
Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2025
Her screenplay contains sharp observations and delightful zingers, tossed off with comic precision by the ace cast.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Even as this revelation casts a retrospective light on many of the movie’s plot points (such as László’s obsession with the details of his design for Harrison’s grand project), it merely gets tossed out, even tossed off.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The pair began the performance wrapped in wintery white faux-fur, but Roan later tossed off her coat to reveal a green velvety outfit adorned with two massive rectangular gemstones.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
Her body was eventually tossed off a cliff but the teens returned later and mutilated her corpse, cutting the body at least 180 times, removing a portion of a lung and cutting off her fingers, court records show.
—Marty Roney, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
When public officials blithely toss off outrageous accusations such as those leveled against the Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, the real-world consequences are all too real.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2024
He’s left a distinctive stamp on the orchestra’s sound in the years since, whether declaiming the beginning of Mahler 5 with a preacher’s conviction or, as in a recent Ravinia concert, tossing off a ragtime solo with waggish virtuosity.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024
She’s not appreciated at home, where her ailing mother Jean (Melanie Nicholls-King) can barely be coaxed off the couch without tossing off a combative word at her daughter.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 July 2024
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Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2025
Her screenplay contains sharp observations and delightful zingers, tossed off with comic precision by the ace cast.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Even as this revelation casts a retrospective light on many of the movie’s plot points (such as László’s obsession with the details of his design for Harrison’s grand project), it merely gets tossed out, even tossed off.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2025
The pair began the performance wrapped in wintery white faux-fur, but Roan later tossed off her coat to reveal a green velvety outfit adorned with two massive rectangular gemstones.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
Her body was eventually tossed off a cliff but the teens returned later and mutilated her corpse, cutting the body at least 180 times, removing a portion of a lung and cutting off her fingers, court records show.
—Marty Roney, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
When public officials blithely toss off outrageous accusations such as those leveled against the Haitian immigrant community in Springfield, Ohio, the real-world consequences are all too real.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2024
He’s left a distinctive stamp on the orchestra’s sound in the years since, whether declaiming the beginning of Mahler 5 with a preacher’s conviction or, as in a recent Ravinia concert, tossing off a ragtime solo with waggish virtuosity.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2024
She’s not appreciated at home, where her ailing mother Jean (Melanie Nicholls-King) can barely be coaxed off the couch without tossing off a combative word at her daughter.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Toss off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toss%20off. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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