Definition

1. Verb:
   • To expel or drive out: To force someone or something to leave a place, group, or situation.
   • To discard or reject: To get rid of something as unwanted or unnecessary.

Usage

• The verb "cast out" is typically used with an object (a person or thing being expelled or discarded). It often carries a formal, literary, or forceful tone.
• It can be used in both literal (physical expulsion) and figurative (social or emotional rejection) contexts.
• Common structures: "cast [someone/something] out" or "cast out [someone/something]".

Examples

• Literal Expulsion:
  • The villagers decided to cast out the stranger who brought bad luck.
  • The evil spirit was cast out from the man's body.
• Figurative Rejection/Discarding:
  • He felt cast out by his former friends after the scandal.
  • You must cast out all thoughts of failure and focus on success.

Advanced Usage

• "to be cast out": To be in a state of having been expelled or rejected.
  • After betraying the clan, he was cast out and forbidden to return.
• "casting out": The continuous action or process of expulsion.
  • The ritual involved the casting out of demons.

Variants and Related Words

• Outcast (n): A person who has been rejected or cast out by society or a social group.
  • He lived as an outcast for many years.
• Castaway (n): A person who has been cast out or shipwrecked and is isolated.
  • The castaway survived on a deserted island.

Synonyms

• Expel: To force someone to leave a place, often officially.
• Banish: To send someone away from a country or place as an official punishment.
• Eject: To force someone or something to leave a place, often physically.
• Discard: To get rid of something that is no longer useful or desirable.
• Ostracize: To exclude someone from a society or group.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Cast aside: To discard or reject someone or something.
  • She cast aside her old clothes and bought a new wardrobe.
• Cast off: To get rid of something or someone; also used in sailing to mean to set a boat free from its moorings.
  • He cast off his doubts and decided to proceed.

Related Idioms

• Cast out into the wilderness: To be rejected and forced into a situation of hardship or isolation.
  • The political dissident was cast out into the wilderness, far from the capital.
• Cast the first stone: To be the first to criticize or accuse someone (often used in a negative imperative: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone").
  • Before you cast the first stone, consider your own mistakes.

Verb

1. throw or cast away
   • Put away your worries
2. expel from a community or group