What does "cast" mean?
An act of throwing.
Cast
/kɑːst/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of throwing.
- Grammar: cast is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: form, hurl, mold, shape.
- Useful contrasts: net pull, the theater audience, audience.
- Usage evidence: The fisherman cast his line into the water.
How to use "cast"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cast" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cast" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cast" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cast" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cast" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "form" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cast", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of throwing.
- 2 a violent throw wordnet
- 3 The number rolled on a die when it is thrown.
- 4 the act of throwing a fishing line out over the water by means of a rod and reel wordnet
- 5 An instance of throwing out a fishing line.
"I went out on the timber boom and made a few casts, but with little success."
Show 24 more definitions
- 6 the act of throwing dice wordnet
- 7 Something which has been thrown, dispersed etc.
"a cast of scatter'd dust"
- 8 object formed by a mold wordnet
- 9 A small mass of earth "thrown off" or excreted by a worm.
"The area near the stream was covered with little bubbly worm casts."
- 10 bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal wordnet
- 11 The collective group of actors performing a play or production together. Contrasted with crew.
"He’s in the cast of Oliver."
- 12 container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens wordnet
- 13 The casting procedure.
"The men got into position for the cast, two at the ladle, two with long rods, all with heavy clothing."
- 14 the visual appearance of something or someone wordnet
- 15 An object made in a mould.
"The cast would need a great deal of machining to become a recognizable finished part."
- 16 the actors in a play wordnet
- 17 A supportive and immobilising device used to help mend broken bones.
"The doctor put a cast on the boy’s broken arm."
- 18 the distinctive form in which a thing is made wordnet
- 19 The mould used to make cast objects.
"A plaster cast was made from his face."
- 20 The number of hawks (or occasionally other birds) cast off at one time; a pair.
"As when a cast of Faulcons make their flight / An an Herneshaw, that lyes aloft on wing […]"
- 21 A squint.
"The image of the affected eye is clearer and in consequence the diplopy more striking the less the cast of the eye; hence the double vision will be noticed by the patient before the misdirection of the eye attracts the attention of those about him."
- 22 Visual appearance.
"Her features had a delicate cast to them."
- 23 The form of one's thoughts, mind etc.
"The cast of mind which prompted the plan was permanent, and in it are to be found both the strength and the weakness of Petty's character."
- 24 Obsolete form of caste (“hereditary social class of South Asia”). alt-of, obsolete
"The brahmin's cast is higher than any other cast."
- 25 Animal and insect remains which have been regurgitated by a bird.
- 26 A group of crabs.
- 27 The measurement of the angle of a shotgun stock from a top-view center line, used to align the shotgun to the shooter's eye.
"Cast is the measurement of the central line of the gun and the stock’s butt. If the butt is tilted slightly to the left of the central line, it’s called “cast on.” If the butt is tilted slightly to the right of the central line, it’s called “cast off.”"
- 28 A chance or attempt at something.
- 29 Assistance given by transporting a person or lightening their labour. archaic, colloquial
"The superiors rode în a spring-van, and the rest in the wagon, while I walked the whole distance. None of them had the civility to give me a cast forward on either vehicle, […]"
Verb
- 1 To move, or be moved, away.; To throw. literary, physical
"Why then a Ladder quaintly made of Cords / To cast vp, with a paire of anchoring hookes, / Would serue to scale another Hero's towre[…]."
- 2 eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth wordnet
- 3 To move, or be moved, away.; To throw forward (a fishing line, net etc.) into the sea. physical
"As Jesus walked by the see off Galile, he sawe two brethren: Simon which was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, castynge a neet into the see (for they were fisshers)[…]."
- 4 formulate in a particular style or language wordnet
- 5 To move, or be moved, away.; To throw down or aside. physical
"So she to Guyon offred it to tast; / Who taking it out of her tender hond, / The cup to ground did violently cast, / That all in peeces it was broken fond […]"
Show 40 more definitions
- 6 choose at random wordnet
- 7 To move, or be moved, away.; To throw off (the skin) as a process of growth; to shed the hair or fur of the coat. physical
- 8 throw forcefully wordnet
- 9 To move, or be moved, away.; To shed leaves or fruit prematurely. physical
- 10 to remove wordnet
- 11 To move, or be moved, away.; To remove, take off (clothes). physical
"when the serjeant saw me, he cast his coat and put it on me, and they carried me on their shoulders to a village where the wounded were and our surgeons[…]."
- 12 put or send forth wordnet
- 13 To move, or be moved, away.; To heave the lead and line in order to ascertain the depth of water. physical
- 14 form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold wordnet
- 15 To move, or be moved, away.; To vomit. obsolete, physical
"These verses[…]make me ready to cast."
- 16 select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet wordnet
- 17 To move, or be moved, away.; To throw up, as a mound, or rampart. archaic, physical
"Thine enemies shall cast a trench [bank] about thee."
- 18 move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment wordnet
- 19 To move, or be moved, away.; To throw out or emit; to exhale. archaic, physical
"1695 (first published), 1726 (final dated of publication) John Woodward, An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth and Terrestrial Bodies This […] casts a sulphurous smell."
- 20 deposit wordnet
- 21 To direct (one's eyes, gaze etc.).
"To whom do Lyons cast their gentle Lookes? Not to the Beast, that would vsurpe their Den."
- 22 assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors wordnet
- 23 To add up (a column of figures, accounts etc.); cross-cast refers to adding up a row of figures.
"To what this ten years' tribute will amount, That we have cast, but cannot compass it By reason of the wars, that robb'd our store"
- 24 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To calculate the astrological value of (a horoscope, birth etc.).
"he is […] a perfect astrologer, that can cast the rise and fall of others, and mark their errant motions to his own use."
- 25 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To plan, intend. obsolete
"[...] for the quene had cast to haue ben ageyne with kyng Arthur at the ferthest by ten of the clok / and soo was that tyme her purpoos. [...] "for the queen had cast to have been again with King Arthur at the furthest by ten of the clock, and so was that time her purpose.""
- 26 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To assign (a role in a play or performance). transitive
"The director cast the part carefully."
- 27 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To assign a role in a play or performance to (an actor). transitive
"The director cast John Smith as King Lear."
- 28 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To describe in an opinionated way. Mostly used with a metaphor involving light. transitive
"King John cast his predecessor in a negative light to deflect criticism of his own questionable decisions."
- 29 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To consider; to turn or revolve in the mind; to plan.
"to cast about for reasons"
- 30 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To impose; to bestow; to rest. archaic
"The government I cast upon my brother."
- 31 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To defeat in a lawsuit; to decide against; to convict. archaic
"to be cast in damages"
- 32 To predict, to decide, to plan.; To turn (the balance or scale); to overbalance; hence, to make preponderate; to decide.
"a casting voice"
- 33 To perform, bring forth (a magical spell or enchantment).
"Sorcery is not the exclusive prerogative of the fetish-man, but is practised haphazardly by anyone who wishes to cast a spell upon another."
- 34 To throw (light etc.) on or upon something, or in a given direction.
"The threat of Russian barbarism sweeping over the free world will cast its ominous shadow over us for many, many years."
- 35 To give birth to (a child) prematurely; to miscarry. archaic
"being with childe, they may without feare of accusation, spoyle and cast [translating avorter] their children, with certaine medicaments, which they have only for that purpose."
- 36 To shape (molten metal etc.) by pouring into a mould; to make (an object) in such a way.
"One copy of the magnificent caveman, The Thinker, of which Rodin cast several examples in bronze, is seated now in front of the Detroit Museum of Art, where it was placed last autumn."
- 37 To shape (molten metal etc.) by pouring into a mould; to make (an object) in such a way.; To stereotype or electrotype. dated
- 38 To twist or warp (of fabric, timber etc.).
"Stuff is said to cast or warp when[…]it alters its flatness or straightness."
- 39 To bring the bows of a sailing ship on to the required tack just as the anchor is weighed by use of the headsail; to bring (a ship) round.
- 40 To deposit (a ballot or voting paper); to formally register (one's vote).
"Time to tell all the ballots cast by voters in the box."
- 41 To change a variable type from, for example, integer to real, or integer to text.
"To display a number, you need to cast it to a string type."
- 42 Of dogs, hunters: to spread out and search for a scent.
"He clambered on to an apron of rock that held its area out to the sun and began to cast across it. The direction of the wind changed and the scent touched him again."
- 43 To set (a bone etc.) in a cast.
- 44 To open a circle in order to begin a spell or meeting of witches.
- 45 To broadcast (video) over the Internet or a local network, especially to one's television.
"The streamer was the first to cast footage of the new game."
Adjective
- 1 Of an animal, such as a horse or sheep: Lying in a position from which it cannot rise on its own. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 Initialism of Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The fisherman cast his line into the water."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cast"?
Common synonyms include: form, hurl, mold, shape, a project, a thing for.
How do you use "cast" in a sentence?
The fisherman cast his line into the water.
How do you pronounce "cast"?
Pronounced /kɑːst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *kas- Proto-Germanic *kastōną Old Norse kastabor. Middle English casten English cast From Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta (“to throw, cast, overturn”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots cast (“to cast, throw”), Danish kaste (“to throw”), Swedish kasta (“to throw, cast, fling, toss, discard”), Icelandic kasta (“to pitch, toss”). In the sense of "flinging", displaced native warp. The senses relating to broadcasting are based on that same term; compare -cast.
Etymology 2
* As a German surname, Americanized from Kast. * As an English surname, variant of Cass. * As a French surname, from Cast, Finistère in Brittany, ultimately from Latin castra (“fortification”). Sometimes also a variant of Caste, from Old French chaste (“chaste”).