(~es, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
If you ~ something somewhere, you throw it there lightly, often in a rather careless way.
He screwed the paper into a ball and ~ed it into the fire...
He ~ed Malone a can of beer, and took one himself.
VERB: V n prep/adv, V n n
2.
If you ~ your head or ~ your hair, you move your head backwards, quickly and suddenly, often as a way of expressing an emotion such as anger or contempt.
‘I’m sure I don’t know.’ Cook ~ed her head...
Gasping, she ~ed her hair out of her face.
VERB: V n, V n prep/adv
•
Toss is also a noun.
With a ~ of his head and a few hard gulps, Bob finished the last of his beer.
N-COUNT
3.
In sports and informal situations, if you decide something by ~ing a coin, you spin a coin into the air and guess which side of the coin will face upwards when it lands.
We ~ed a coin to decide who would go out and buy the buns.
VERB: V n
•
Toss is also a noun.
It would be better to decide it on the ~ of a coin.
N-COUNT: usu sing
4.
The ~ is a way of deciding something, such as who is going to go first in a game, that consists of spinning a coin into the air and guessing which side of the coin will face upwards when it lands.
Bangladesh won the ~ and decided to bat first.
N-SING: the N
5.
If something such as the wind or sea ~es an object, it causes it to move from side to side or up and down. (LITERARY)
The seas grew turbulent, ~ing the small boat like a cork...
As the plane was ~ed up and down, the pilot tried to stabilise it.
VERB: V n, be V-ed adv/prep
6.
If you ~ food while preparing it, you put pieces of it into a liquid and lightly shake them so that they become covered with the liquid.
Do not ~ the salad until you’re ready to serve...
Add the grated orange rind and ~ the apple slices in the mixture...
Serve straight from the dish with a ~ed green salad.
VERB: V n, V n in n, V-ed
7.
see also ~-up
8.
If you say that someone argues the ~, you are criticizing them for continuing to argue for longer than is necessary about something that is not very important. (BRIT)
They were still arguing the ~ about the first goal...
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep disapproval
9.
If you say that you do not give a ~ about someone or something, you are emphasizing that you do not care about them at all. (BRIT INFORMAL)
Well, who gives a ~ about sophistication anyway?...
PHRASE: with brd-neg, V inflects, oft PHR about n, PHR wh emphasis
10.
If you ~ and turn, you keep moving around in bed and cannot sleep properly, for example because you are ill or worried.
PHRASE: Vs inflect