cast: Meaning and Definition of

cast

Pronunciation: (kast, käst), [key]
— v., n., adj. cast, cast•ing,
—v.t.
  1. to throw or hurl; fling: The gambler cast the dice.
  2. to throw off or away: He cast the advertisement in the wastebasket.
  3. to direct (the eye, a glance, etc.), esp. in a cursory manner: She cast her eyes down the page.
  4. 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.
  5. to draw (lots), as in telling fortunes.
  6. The fisherman cast his line.
    1. to throw out (a fishing line, net, bait, etc.):The fisherman cast his line.
    2. to fish in (a stream, an area, etc.):He has often cast this brook.
  7. to throw down or bring to the ground: She cast herself on the sofa.
  8. to part with; lose: The horse cast a shoe.
  9. to shed or drop (hair, fruit, etc.): The snake cast its skin.
  10. (of an animal) to bring forth (young), esp. abortively.
  11. to send off (a swarm), as bees do.
  12. to throw or set aside; discard or reject; dismiss: He cast the problem from his mind.
  13. to throw forth, as from within; emit or eject; vomit.
  14. to throw up (earth, sod, etc.), as with a shovel.
  15. to put or place, esp. hastily or forcibly: to cast someone in prison.
  16. to deposit or give (a ballot or vote).
  17. to bestow; confer: to cast blessings upon someone.
  18. to make suitable or accordant; tailor: He cast his remarks to fit the occasion.
    1. to select actors for (a play, motion picture, or the like).
    2. to allot a role to (an actor).
    3. to assign an actor to (a role).
  19. to form (an object) by pouring metal, plaster, etc., in a fluid state into a mold and letting it harden.
  20. to form (metal, plaster, etc.) into a particular shape by pouring it into a mold in a fluid state and letting it harden.
  21. to tap (a blast furnace).
  22. to compute or calculate; add, as a column of figures.
  23. to compute or calculate (a horoscope) astrologically; forecast.
  24. to turn or twist; warp.
  25. to turn the head of (a vessel), esp. away from the wind in getting under way.
  26. (of a hunter) to lead or direct (hounds) over ground believed to have been recently traveled by a fox.
  27. to contrive, devise, or plan.
  28. to ponder.
—v.i.
  1. to throw.
  2. to receive form in a mold.
  3. to calculate or add.
  4. to conjecture; forecast.
  5. (of hounds) to search an area for scent: The setter cast, but found no scent.
  6. to warp, as timber.
  7. (of a vessel) to turn, esp. to get the head away from the wind; tack.
  8. to select the actors for a play, motion picture, or the like.
    1. to consider.
    2. to plan or scheme.
  9. We cast about for something to do during the approaching summer vacation.
    1. to look, as to find something; search; seek:We cast about for something to do during the approaching summer vacation.
    2. to scheme; plan:He cast about how he could avoid work.
  10. He will cast away this money just as he has done in the past.
    1. Also,cast aside.to reject; discard.
    2. to shipwreck.
    3. to throw away; squander:He will cast away this money just as he has done in the past.
  11. to refer to something past; revert to: The composer casts back to his earlier work.
  12. to lower; humble.
    1. to discard; reject.
    2. to let go or let loose, as a vessel from a mooring.
    3. Print.to determine the quantity of type or space that a given amount of text will occupy when set.
    4. Textiles.to make (the final stitches) in completing a knitted fabric.
    5. to throw (a falcon) off from the fist to pursue game.
  13. to set (yarn) on a needle in order to form the initial stitches in knitting.
  14. to force out; expel; eject.
    1. to add up; compute.
    2. to vomit; eject.
    3. Chiefly Scot.to turn up; appear.
—n.
  1. act of casting or throwing.
  2. that which is thrown.
  3. the distance to which a thing may be cast or thrown.
    1. a throw of dice.
    2. the number rolled.
    1. act of throwing a line or net onto the water.
    2. a spot for casting; a fishing place.
  4. the group of performers to whom parts are assigned; players.
  5. a searching of an area for a scent by hounds.
  6. a stroke of fortune; fortune or lot.
  7. a ride offered on one's way; lift.
  8. the form in which something is made or written; arrangement.
    1. act of casting or founding.
    2. the quantity of metal cast at one time.
  9. something formed from a material poured into a mold in a molten or liquid state; casting.
  10. an impression or mold made from something.
  11. a rigid surgical dressing, usually made of bandage treated with plaster of Paris.
  12. outward form; appearance.
  13. sort; kind; style.
  14. tendency; inclination.
  15. a permanent twist or turn: to have a cast in one's eye.
  16. a warp.
  17. a slight tinge of some color; hue; shade: A good diamond does not have a yellowish cast.
  18. a dash or trace; a small amount.
  19. computation; calculation; addition.
  20. a conjecture; forecast.
  21. 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.
  22. pellet (def. 6).
  23. a pair of hawks put in flight together.
  24. effused plastic matter produced in the hollow parts of various diseased organs.
  25. low-grade, irregular wool.
  26. through a single action or event: He bankrupted himself at a single cast.
—adj.
  1. (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.
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