Word.ws English Dictionary

threw down

threw down is the simple past of throw down.

Meaning of throw down

Verb

throw down (third-person singular simple present throws down, present participle throwing down, simple past threw down, past participle thrown down)

  1. (transitive) To cause something one is holding to drop, often forcefully.
    • The soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered.
  2. (dated, transitive) To destroy or demolish.
    • to throw down a tower
  3. (idiomatic, slang, transitive) To produce or perform (something) admirably or forcefully.
    • ...this guide tracks the artists and recordings that throw down the funk!2001, Dave Thompson, Funk, back cover
  4. (broadly, idiomatic, intransitive, slang) To accomplish or produce something in a grand, respectable, or successful manner; to "represent".
    • Yeah, they could literally throw down. When their sound came out, it was earth-shaking.1997, Richard C. Green, Soul: Black Power, Politics, and Pleasure, page 93
  5. (idiomatic, intransitive, slang) To drink a large amount quickly.
    • "We need to finish these five pitchers in half an hour, so throw down as fast as you can!"
  6. (idiomatic, intransitive, slang) To fight; to make a stand.
    • Age ain't nothin' but a number / Throwin' down ain't nothin' but a thing / This lovin' I have for you, it'll never change1994 December 6, R. Kelly, “Age Ain't Nothing but a Number”, in Age Ain't Nothing but a Number, performed by Aaliyah, track 4

See all 7 meanings of throw down

Questions about threw down

What is threw down the simple past of?
Threw down is the simple past of throw down.

Words near threw down in the dictionary

  1. threw back
  2. threw BBs
  3. threw by
  4. threw caution to the wind
  5. threw cold water on
  6. threw down
  7. threw down the gauntlet
  8. threw dust in someone's eyes
  9. threw for a loop
  10. threw gas on the fire
  11. threw gasoline on the fire

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: threw down (page history and authors); throw down (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.

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Cite this entry: “threw down.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/threw_down. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.