toss

Compared meaning: to throw something (verb).

比较义项：投掷（动词）。

• toss 本词

  Toss suggests a light, gentle, often one-handed throw with little force, typically over a short distance; more casual than throw but without chuck's carelessness.

  toss 表示轻轻地、随意地抛出，用力较小，通常是短距离的单手动作；比 throw 更随意，但不像 chuck 那样带有草率丢弃的意味。

  He gently tossed the pillow to his sister on the other bed.

  他轻轻地把枕头抛给了另一张床上的妹妹。

• throw

  Throw is the general, neutral verb for propelling something through the air with the hand or arm, with no special implication of lightness, force, or carelessness.

  throw 是最中性、最通用的说法，表示用手或手臂把东西抛向空中，没有 toss 的轻巧、chuck 的随意或 cast 的正式含义。

  The pitcher can throw the ball more than ninety miles an hour.

  投手投球的速度能超过每小时九十英里。

• cast

  Cast is formal or literary and today mainly survives in fixed expressions such as casting a fishing line, a net, or dice, rather than everyday throwing.

  cast 语气正式或带文学色彩，如今主要保留在“撒网”“抛骰子”“抛出鱼线”等固定搭配中，不用于日常随意的扔东西。

  The fisherman cast his line far out into the quiet river.

  渔夫把鱼线远远地抛进了平静的河里。

• chuck

  Chuck is very informal and often implies throwing something carelessly, impatiently, or to get rid of it, sometimes with a mildly negative or dismissive tone.

  chuck 非常口语化，常带有随意、不耐烦地扔掉或想要处理掉某物的意味，语气有时略带轻蔑或不在意。

  Just chuck those old newspapers in the recycling bin, please.

  把那些旧报纸随手扔进回收箱就行了。

Toss, throw, cast, and chuck all mean to throw something. Toss is a light, casual throw. Chuck means throwing carelessly, almost discarding. Cast is formal, as in casting a net. Throw is the most general word. This does not cover cast meaning to choose actors.

这几个词在这个意义上都表示“扔、抛、掷”这个动作，但在力度、随意程度和正式程度上有明显区别：toss 强调轻抛随意，chuck 强调草率地扔掉甚至带有丢弃的意味，cast 多见于“撒网、掷骰子”等固定搭配，语气正式或带文学色彩，throw 则是最通用中性的说法。这里不比较 cast 的“选派角色、试镜”这一义项。