What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Let vs Throw - What's the difference?

let | throw |

As nouns the difference between let and throw

is that let is milk or let can be letter while throw is the flight of a thrown object; as, a fast throw or throw can be pain, especially pain associated with childbirth; throe or throw can be (obsolete) a moment, time, occasion or throw can be .

As a verb throw is

to hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.

let

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) leten, .

Verb

  • (label) To allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without (to)).
  • :
  • *(Bible), (w) viii. 28
  • *:Pharaoh said, I will let you go.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is
  • *1971 , , (The Tombs of Atuan)
  • *:He could not be let die of thirst there alone in the dark.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-21, author=(Oliver Burkeman)
    • , volume=189, issue=2, page=27, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= The tao of tech , passage=The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you "stay up to date with what your friends are doing",
  • To leave.
  • :
  • *(Edmund Spenser) (c.1552–1599)
  • *:Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets, / But to her mother Nature all her care she lets .
  • (label) To allow the release of (a fluid).
  • :
  • (label) To allow possession of (a property etc.) in exchange for rent.
  • :
  • (label) To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; often with out .
  • :
  • (label)
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • :
  • To cause (+ bare infinitive).
  • :
  • *:
    • Soo within a whyle kynge Pellinore cam with a grete hoost / and salewed the peple and the kyng / and ther was grete ioye made on euery syde / Thenne the kyng lete serche how moche people of his party ther was slayne / And ther were founde but lytel past two honderd men slayne and viij kny?tes of the table round in their pauelions
  • *1818 , (John Keats), "To—":
  • *:Time's sea hath been five years at its slow ebb, / Long hours have to and fro let creep the sand.
    • Synonyms
    * (to allow) allow, permit
    Usage notes
    The use of "let" to introduce an imperative may sometimes be confused with its use, as its own imperative , in the sense of "to allow". For example, the sentence "Let me go to the store." could either be a second-person imperative of "let" (addressing someone who might prevent the speaker from going to the store) or a first-person singular imperative of "go" (not implying any such preventer).

    Etymology 2

    (etyl) . More at late, delay.

    Verb

  • (archaic) To hinder, prevent; to obstruct (someone or something).
  • * Bible, 2. Thessalonians ii. 7
    • He who now letteth' will ' let , until he be taken out of the way.
  • * Tennyson
    • Mine ancient wound is hardly whole, / And lets me from the saddle.
  • (obsolete) To prevent or obstruct (to) do something, or (that) something happen.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Acts VIII:
    • And as they went on their waye, they cam unto a certayne water, and the gelded man sayde: Se here is water, what shall lett me to be baptised?

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An obstacle or hindrance.
  • *, II.16:
  • *:Paulus Emilius'' going to the glorious expedition of ''Macedon'', advertised the people of ''Rome'' during his absence not to speake of his actions: ''For the licence of judgements is an especiall let in great affaires.
  • *Latimer
  • *:Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not.
  • (tennis) The hindrance caused by the net during serve, only if the ball falls legally.

    • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * * * 1000 English basic words English irregular past participles English irregular simple past forms English irregular verbs English terms with multiple etymologies English verbs with base form identical to past participle ----

    throw

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • To hurl; to cause an object to move rapidly through the air.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=When this conversation was repeated in detail within the hearing of the young woman in question, and undoubtedly for his benefit, Mr. Trevor threw shame to the winds and scandalized the Misses Brewster then and there by proclaiming his father to have been a country storekeeper.}}
  • To eject or cause to fall off.
  • * Shakespeare
    • There the snake throws her enamelled skin.
  • To move to another position or condition; to displace.
  • * , chapter=17
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.}}
  • (ceramics) To make (a pot) by shaping clay as it turns on a wheel.
  • (cricket) Of a bowler, to deliver (the ball) illegally by straightening the bowling arm during delivery.
  • (computing) To send (an error) to an exception-handling mechanism in order to interrupt normal processing.
  • (sports) To intentionally lose a game.
  • * 2012 , August 1. Peter Walker and Haroon Siddique in Guardian Unlimited, Eight Olympic badminton players disqualified for 'throwing games'
    • Four pairs of women's doubles badminton players, including the Chinese top seeds, have been ejected from the Olympic tournament for trying to throw matches in an effort to secure a more favourable quarter-final draw.
  • (informal) To confuse or mislead.
  • * 1999 , Jan Blackstone-Ford, The Custody Solutions Sourcebook - Page 196
    • "Jann, why does he hate me so much?" That question threw me. I was expecting a lunatic yelling profanities.
  • (figuratively) To send desperately.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2010, date=December 28, author=Marc Vesty, work=BBC
    • , title= Stoke 0-2 Fulham , passage=Stoke threw men forward in numbers as they attempted to find a way back into the game, and Mark Schwarzer was forced into a low save from Huth's close-range effort.}}
  • To imprison.
  • * 1818 , (Mary Shelley), (Frankenstein)
    • The plot of Felix was quickly discovered, and De Lacey and Agatha were thrown into prison.
  • * 1993 , Margaret McKee, Fred Chisenhall, Beale black & blue: life and music on black America's main street - Page 30
    • The standard method of dealing with an addict was to arrest him, throw him into a cell, and leave him until the agonizing pangs of withdrawal were over.
  • To organize an event, especially a party.
  • * {{quote-news, year=1986, date=March 1, work=Evening News
    • , title= Bash Planned , passage=And now, Clevelanders hoping to bring the Rock Roll Hall of Fame to their city are throwing a bash to commemorate the 34th birthday of disc Jockey Alan Freed's "Moondog Coronation Ball".}}
  • * 1979 , Working Mother - July 1979 Page 72[http://books.google.com/books?id=SWEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72&dq=%22throw+a+party%22&hl=en&ei=KGUeTbvyA426hAfw6OC3Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=%22throw%20a%20party%22&f=false]
    • Should you be interested, for whatever reason, it will tell you how to throw a party for your 40-year-old husband or your 100-year-old great-grandmother. It also describes games that can be played at various kinds of parties
  • To roll (a die or dice).
  • * 1844 , Samuel Laing translating (Snorri Sturluson), Heimskringla
    • The kings came to the agreement between themselves that they would cast lots by the dice to determine who should have this property, and that he who threw the highest should have the district. The Swedish king threw two sixes, and said King Olaf need scarcely throw .
  • To cause a certain number on the die or dice to be shown after rolling it.
  • * 1844 , Samuel Laing translating (Snorri Sturluson), Heimskringla
    • The kings came to the agreement between themselves that they would cast lots by the dice to determine who should have this property, and that he who threw' the highest should have the district. The Swedish king ' threw two sixes, and said King Olaf need scarcely throw.
  • (bridge) To discard.
  • * {{quote-news, year=1990, date=January 4, work=(The Washington Times)
    • , title= Sharp coup overcomes trump split , passage=Declarer threw his queen of spades on the high diamond. He then won the last three tricks with his ace, queen and nine of hearts behind East's jack third.}}
  • (martial arts) To lift the opponent off the ground and bring him back down, especially into a position behind the thrower.
  • To subject someone to verbally.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=June 11, author=Claude Salhani, work=UPI
    • , title= Analysis: Irony of Bush's European tour , passage=In other European cities the president visited this week, people waited for his motorcade to pass to throw insults at him, requiring the police to intervene with batons, water cannons and tear gas.}}
  • (said of animals) To give birth to.
  • * 1916 , Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: Volume 49
    • At the end of the normal gestation period the cow threw two calf mummies as large as cats.
  • (said of one's voice) To change in order to give the illusion that the voice is that of someone else.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2005, date=April 13, author=Leon Neyfakh, work=Harvard Crimson
    • , title= BOOKENDS: Will the Real Jonathan Safran Foer Please Stand Up , passage=“Then, when I throw my voice, when I speak as someone who's quite different from me, it starts to feel very authentic.”}}
  • To show sudden emotion, especially anger.
  • * 1991 , Janet L. Davies, Ellen Hastings Janosik, Mental health and psychiatric nursing: a caring approach
    • Bill runs into the kitchen and tells Dad that Erik is throwing a tantrum. He tells Bill to go back and watch his program and to ignore his brother. Fifteen minutes later, Erik is still screaming
  • * 1996 , New York Magazine Vol. 29, No. 32 - 19 Aug 1996; Entertaining Mrs Stone
    • In 1975, pregnant with the second of her three children, she threw a hissy fit to get on a trip to Boston for elected officials.
  • To project or send forth.
  • * 1900 , , (The House Behind the Cedars) , Chapter I,
    • Warwick left the undertaker's shop and retraced his steps until he had passed the lawyer's office, toward which he threw an affectionate glance.
  • To put on hastily; to spread carelessly.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • O'er his fair limbs a flowery vest he threw .
  • To twist two or more filaments of (silk, etc.) so as to form one thread; to twist together, as singles, in a direction contrary to the twist of the singles themselves; sometimes applied to the whole class of operations by which silk is prepared for the weaver.
    • (Tomlinson)
    Synonyms
    * (cause an object to move rapidly through the air) bowl, bung, buzz, cast, catapult, chuck, dash, direct, fire, fling, flip, heave, hurl, launch, lob, pitch, project, propel, send, shoot, shy, sling, toss, whang * (eject or cause to fall off) eject, throw off * (move to another position) displace, relocate * See also
    Derived terms
    * a stone's throw * overthrow * throw a bone to * throw a fit * throw away, throw-away * throw a wobbly * throwback * throw down the gauntlet * throw in the sponge * throw in the towel * throwing * throw shapes * throw the book at * throw up * throw one's weight around

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The flight of a thrown object; as, a fast throw.
  • The act of throwing something.
  • A distance travelled; displacement; as, the throw of the piston.
  • A piece of fabric used to cover a bed, sofa or other soft furnishing.
  • A single instance, occurrence, venture, or chance.
    • Football tickets are expensive at fifty bucks a throw .

    Derived terms

    * throw pillow * throw-up

    References

    * Krueger, Dennis (December 1982). "Why On Earth Do They Call It Throwing?" Studio Potter Vol. 11, Number 1.[http://www.studiopotter.org/articles/?art=art0001]

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) (m), alteration of (m), from (etyl) . More at (m).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Pain, especially pain associated with childbirth; throe.
    • (Spenser)
    (Dryden)
  • (veterinary) The act of giving birth in animals, especially in cows.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) A moment, time, occasion.
  • (obsolete) A period of time; a while.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , III.iv:
    • Downe himselfe he layd / Vpon the grassie ground, to sleepe a throw ; / The cold earth was his couch, the hard steele his pillow.
    Synonyms
    * (l)

    Etymology 4

    Noun

    (head)

    • Anagrams

    * * English irregular verbs