casting
Syllables: cast·ingUK/ˈkɑːstɪŋ//ˈkæstɪŋ/
casting is the present participle and gerund of cast.
Noun
casting (countable and uncountable, plural castings)
- The act or process of selecting actors, singers, dancers, models, etc.
- Synonyms:
- audition
- A manufacturing process using a mold.
- An object made in a mold.
- The practice of casting steel seems the most difficult of all the foundry arts, for despite every care, a percentage of the work is liable to be faulty and disappointing, but at Crewe, generally, a very good class of casting was turned out.1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 343
- The regurgitation of fur, feathers, and other undigestible material by hawks, to clean and empty their crops.
- “What, ho! sir knave,” exclaimed Roland, “is it thus you feed the eyasse with unwashed meat, as if you were gorging the foul brancher of a worthless hoodie-crow, by the mass? and thou hast neglected its castings also for these two days.[…]”1820, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in The Abbot. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and...
- The excreta of an earthworm or similar creature.
- The act of converting between data types.
- Of hounds, the act of spreading out and searching for a scent.
- "The dogs were no sooner let loose, than the hare was afoot. This time there was no stopping or casting, but the hounds were soon in full cry, and after half-an-hour's run, the hare came dancing down the moor towards me."1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 77
Meaning of cast
Verb
cast (third-person singular simple present casts, present participle casting, simple past and past participle cast or (nonstandard) casted)
- To move, or be moved, away.
- Many savages believe that by annually casting their skins serpents and other animals renew their youth and live for ever.1918, James George Frazer, Folk-Lore In The Old Testament, volume 1, page 50
- To throw.
- Why then a Ladder quaintly made of Cords / To cast vp, with a paire of anchoring hookes, / Would serue to scale another Hero's towre[…].c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
- To throw forward (a fishing line, net etc.) into the sea.
- As Jesus walked by the see off Galile, he sawe two brethren: Simon which was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, castynge a neet into the see (for they were fisshers)[…].1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew iiij
- To throw down or aside.
- So she to Guyon offred it to tast; / Who taking it out of her tender hond, / The cup to ground did violently cast, / That all in peeces it was broken fond […]1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
- To throw off (the skin) as a process of growth; to shed the hair or fur of the coat.
- To shed leaves or fruit prematurely.
Synonyms of casting
Forms of casting
| plural | castings |
|---|
Origin of casting
From Middle English castynge, castand, equivalent to cast + -ing.
From Middle English castyng, castinge, equivalent to cast + -ing.
Words formed from casting
- baitcasting
- beach casting
- casting agent
- casting call
- casting-couch
- casting couch
- casting-net
- casting net
- casting vote
- casting weight
- central casting
- diecasting
- die-casting
- die casting
- gigacasting
- investment casting
- leafcasting
- leaf-casting
- leaf casting
- lifecasting
- linecasting
- lost-wax casting
- megacasting
- out of central casting
- ray casting
- rheocasting
- robocasting
- runecasting
- shadowcasting
- shame-casting
- slipcasting
- spellcasting
- stunt casting
- surf casting
- surf-casting
Phrases with casting
- casting on
- casting up
- casting off
- casting out
- fan casting
- casting away
- casting back
- casting down
- casting nets
- casting over
- side casting
- casting about
31 more phrasesFewer phrases
- casting aside
- casting calls
- casting loose
- casting round
- casting votes
- spell casting
- casting adrift
- casting agents
- casting anchor
- casting around
- casting a chill
- casting couches
- casting weights
- casting a shadow
- casting light on
- casting snowballs
- casting aspersions
- casting one's vote
- from central casting
- casting one's net wide
- casting one's mind back
- casting one's net wider
- casting someone's water
- casting the first stone
- casting up one's accounts
- casting in someone's teeth
- casting caution to the wind
- casting oil on troubled waters
- casting one's net far and wide
- casting one's bread upon the waters
- casting out the Devil with Beelzebub
Words that rhyme with casting
Questions about casting
- What does casting mean?
- Casting means the act or process of selecting actors, singers, dancers, models, etc.
- What is casting the present participle and gerund of?
- Casting is the present participle and gerund of cast.
- What part of speech is casting?
- Casting is a noun.
- How do you pronounce casting?
- Casting is pronounced /ˈkæstɪŋ/ (US).
- What is the plural of casting?
- The plural of casting is castings.
Words near casting in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: casting (page history and authors); cast (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-casting.ogg.
Cite this entry: “casting.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/casting. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.