What does "sidecast" mean?

Debris left next to a construction site from sidecasting.

Sidecast

noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Debris left next to a construction site from sidecasting. countable, uncountable
"In areas of moderate slopes, recontouring can be accomplished by salvaging sidecast deposited during road construction."
2
A mode of using a suction dredge that sidecasts the material that is dredged up using a pipeline to the bank or by jetting. countable, uncountable
"Accordingly, alternative dredge plants were analyzed, including pipeline, hopper, and the conventional sidecast dredge."
3
A type of reel with a spool that rotates on a fixed base through 90 degrees to allow sidecasting. countable, uncountable
"When fishing for drummer off the rocks with a sidecast reel, have the drag set at about 50 per cent of the breaking strain to start with."
4
A calculation or figure that is listed in a table beside a drawing that gives a value which cannot be read directly from the drawing. countable, uncountable
"The first sub-column is used as a factor column, the second for take-off figures, the third for extensions, the fourth for locations, and the fifth for sidecasts."

Verb

1
To eject waste material that has been excavated or dredged to the side, rather than hauling it away.
"The dragline sidecasts material into a 'wet' stockpile located on-shore, immediately adjacent to the excavation."
2
To cast a fishing line at an angle of 90 degrees using a special type of reel that rotates on its rod.
"I bait his hook with a plump and squirmy shrimp. With one arm, he sidecasts between two spindly roots."

"The dragline sidecasts material into a 'wet' stockpile located on-shore, immediately adjacent to the excavation."

From side + cast.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.