Meaning trap

throw away

discard

To get rid of something you do not want or need by putting it in the trash.

phrasal verbB1common

Don't mix these meanings

Same phrase, different job.

discard

To get rid of something you do not want or need by putting it in the trash.

throw away (waste an opportunity)

Another meaning of 'throw away' is 'waste an opportunity'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

I threw away all the old magazines last weekend.daily life
If I see food in the fridge that's gone bad, I usually throw it away to avoid getting sick.IELTS speaking

Pattern: throw something away

WrongI threw away it.

RightI threw it away.

With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'throw it away'.

Patternthrow something away

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff Please dispose of the packaging in the bin.

Natural Just throw the packaging away.

'Throw away' is the everyday verb for binning something; 'dispose of' is formal/official.

Words that usually travel with it.

Not the same as 'give away', which means to give something to someone else for free.

throw away (waste an opportunity) — Another meaning of 'throw away' is 'waste an opportunity'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.