cast
cast
(kăst) verb
cast,
casting, casts
verb
, transitive
1.
a. To throw (something, especially something light): The angler cast the line. b. To throw with force; hurl: waves that cast driftwood far up on the shore. See synonyms at throw.
2.
To shed; molt.
3.
To throw forth; drop: cast anchor.
4.
To throw on the ground, as in wrestling.
5.
To deposit or indicate (a ballot or vote).
6.
To turn or direct: All eyes were cast upon the speaker.
7.
To cause to fall onto or over something or in a certain direction, as if by throwing: candles casting light; cast aspersions on my character; findings that cast doubt on our hypothesis.
8.
To bestow; confer: "The government I cast upon my brother" (Shakespeare).
9.
a. To roll or throw (dice, for example). b. To draw (lots).
10. To give birth to prematurely: The cow cast a calf.
11. To cause (hunting hounds) to scatter and circle in search of a lost scent.
12. a. To choose actors for (a play, for example). b. To assign a certain role to (an actor): cast her as the lead. c. To assign an actor to (a part): cast each role carefully.
13. To form (liquid metal, for example) into a particular shape by pouring into a mold.
14. To give a form to; arrange: decided to cast the book in three parts.
15. To contrive; devise: cast a plan.
16. To calculate or compute; add up (a column of figures).
17. To calculate astrologically: cast my horoscope.
18. To warp; twist: floorboards cast by age.
19. Nautical. To turn (a ship); change to the opposite tack.
verb
, intransitive
1.
To throw something, especially to throw out a lure or bait at the end of a fishing line.
2.
To add a column of figures; make calculations.
3.
To make a conjecture or a forecast.
4.
To receive form or shape in a mold.
5.
To search for a lost scent in hunting with hounds.
6.
Nautical. a. To veer to leeward from a former course; fall off. b. To put about; tack.
7. To choose actors for the parts in a play, movie, or other theatrical presentation.
8. Obsolete. To estimate; conjecture.
noun
1.
a. The act or an instance of casting or throwing. b. The distance thrown.
2. a. A throwing of a fishing line or net into the water. b. The line or net thrown.
3. a. A throw of dice. b. The number thrown.
4. A stroke of fortune or fate; lot.
5. a. A direction or expression of the eyes. b. A slight squint.
6. Something, such as molted skin, that is thrown off, out, or away.
7. The addition of a column of figures; calculation.
8. A conjecture; a forecast.
9. a. The act of pouring molten material into a mold. b. The amount of molten material poured into a mold at a single operation. c. Something formed by this means: The sculpture was a bronze cast.
10. An impression formed in a mold or matrix; a mold: a cast of her face made in plaster.
11. A rigid dressing, usually made of gauze and plaster of Paris, used to immobilize an injured body part, as in a fracture or dislocation. Also called plaster cast.
12. The form in which something is made or constructed; arrangement: the close-set cast of her features.
13. Outward form or look; appearance: a suit of stylish cast.
14. Sort; type: fancied himself to be of a macho cast.
15. An inclination; tendency: her thoughtful cast of mind.
16. The actors in a theatrical presentation.
17. A slight trace of color; a tinge.
18. A distortion of shape.
19. The circling of hounds to pick up a scent in hunting.
20. A pair of hawks released by a falconer at one time. See synonyms at flock1.
phrasal verb.
cast about
1.
To make a search; look: had to cast about for an hour, looking for a good campsite.
2.
To devise means; contrive: cast about for new ways to proceed.
cast around
To search about: cast around for solutions to the problem. cast off
1.
To discard; reject: cast off old clothing.
2.
To let go; set loose: cast off a boat; cast off a line.
3.
To make the last row of stitches in knitting.
4.
Printing. To estimate the space a mansucript will occupy when set into type.
cast on
To make the first row of stitches in knitting. cast out
To drive out by force; expel.
idiom.
cast (one's) lot with
To join or side with for better or worse.
[Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta.]