Word.ws English Dictionary

threw down the gauntlet

threw down the gauntlet is the simple past of throw down the gauntlet.

Meaning of throw down the gauntlet

Verb

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

  1. (idiomatic) To issue a challenge.
    • We might as well dispute with Dimock on a Coronation Day, as argue with these Writers. They strut, vapour, throw down the Gauntlet, and defy us to take it up.1730, Caleb d' Anvers (Nicholas Amhurst), The Craftsman, volume 7, page 91

Questions about threw down the gauntlet

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

Words near threw down the gauntlet in the dictionary

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

Source and license

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