cast
Pronunciation: (kast, käst), [key]
— v., n., adj. cast, cast•ing,
—v.t.
- to throw or hurl; fling: The gambler cast the dice.
- to throw off or away: He cast the advertisement in the wastebasket.
- to direct (the eye, a glance, etc.), esp. in a cursory manner: She cast her eyes down the page.
- to cause to fall upon something or in a certain direction; send forth: to cast a soft light; to cast a spell; to cast doubts.
- to draw (lots), as in telling fortunes.
- The fisherman cast his line.
- to throw out (a fishing line, net, bait, etc.):The fisherman cast his line.
- to fish in (a stream, an area, etc.):He has often cast this brook.
- to throw down or bring to the ground: She cast herself on the sofa.
- to part with; lose: The horse cast a shoe.
- to shed or drop (hair, fruit, etc.): The snake cast its skin.
- (of an animal) to bring forth (young), esp. abortively.
- to send off (a swarm), as bees do.
- to throw or set aside; discard or reject; dismiss: He cast the problem from his mind.
- to throw forth, as from within; emit or eject; vomit.
- to throw up (earth, sod, etc.), as with a shovel.
- to put or place, esp. hastily or forcibly: to cast someone in prison.
- to deposit or give (a ballot or vote).
- to bestow; confer: to cast blessings upon someone.
- to make suitable or accordant; tailor: He cast his remarks to fit the occasion.
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- to select actors for (a play, motion picture, or the like).
- to allot a role to (an actor).
- to assign an actor to (a role).
- to form (an object) by pouring metal, plaster, etc., in a fluid state into a mold and letting it harden.
- to form (metal, plaster, etc.) into a particular shape by pouring it into a mold in a fluid state and letting it harden.
- to tap (a blast furnace).
- to compute or calculate; add, as a column of figures.
- to compute or calculate (a horoscope) astrologically; forecast.
- to turn or twist; warp.
- to turn the head of (a vessel), esp. away from the wind in getting under way.
- (of a hunter) to lead or direct (hounds) over ground believed to have been recently traveled by a fox.
- to contrive, devise, or plan.
- to ponder.
—v.i.
- to throw.
- to receive form in a mold.
- to calculate or add.
- to conjecture; forecast.
- (of hounds) to search an area for scent: The setter cast, but found no scent.
- to warp, as timber.
- (of a vessel) to turn, esp. to get the head away from the wind; tack.
- to select the actors for a play, motion picture, or the like.
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- to consider.
- to plan or scheme.
- We cast about for something to do during the approaching summer vacation.
- to look, as to find something; search; seek:We cast about for something to do during the approaching summer vacation.
- to scheme; plan:He cast about how he could avoid work.
- He will cast away this money just as he has done in the past.
- Also,cast aside.to reject; discard.
- to shipwreck.
- to throw away; squander:He will cast away this money just as he has done in the past.
- to refer to something past; revert to: The composer casts back to his earlier work.
- to lower; humble.
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- to discard; reject.
- to let go or let loose, as a vessel from a mooring.
- Print.to determine the quantity of type or space that a given amount of text will occupy when set.
- Textiles.to make (the final stitches) in completing a knitted fabric.
- to throw (a falcon) off from the fist to pursue game.
- to set (yarn) on a needle in order to form the initial stitches in knitting.
- to force out; expel; eject.
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- to add up; compute.
- to vomit; eject.
- Chiefly Scot.to turn up; appear.
—n.
- act of casting or throwing.
- that which is thrown.
- the distance to which a thing may be cast or thrown.
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- a throw of dice.
- the number rolled.
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- act of throwing a line or net onto the water.
- a spot for casting; a fishing place.
- the group of performers to whom parts are assigned; players.
- a searching of an area for a scent by hounds.
- a stroke of fortune; fortune or lot.
- a ride offered on one's way; lift.
- the form in which something is made or written; arrangement.
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- act of casting or founding.
- the quantity of metal cast at one time.
- something formed from a material poured into a mold in a molten or liquid state; casting.
- an impression or mold made from something.
- a rigid surgical dressing, usually made of bandage treated with plaster of Paris.
- outward form; appearance.
- sort; kind; style.
- tendency; inclination.
- a permanent twist or turn: to have a cast in one's eye.
- a warp.
- a slight tinge of some color; hue; shade: A good diamond does not have a yellowish cast.
- a dash or trace; a small amount.
- computation; calculation; addition.
- a conjecture; forecast.
- something that is shed, ejected, or cast off or out, as molted skin, a feather, food from a bird's crop, or the coil of sand and waste passed by certain earthworms.
- pellet (def. 6).
- a pair of hawks put in flight together.
- effused plastic matter produced in the hollow parts of various diseased organs.
- low-grade, irregular wool.
- through a single action or event: He bankrupted himself at a single cast.
—adj.
- (of an animal, esp. a horse) lying in such a position that it is unable to return to its feet without assistance.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.