cast Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the actors in a play
    cast of characters; dramatis personae.
  2. noun container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
    mould; mold.
  3. noun the distinctive form in which a thing is made
    mould; mold; stamp.
    • pottery of this cast was found throughout the region
  4. noun the visual appearance of something or someone
    shape; form.
    • the delicate cast of his features
  5. noun bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal
    plaster bandage; plaster cast.
  6. noun object formed by a mold
    casting.
  7. noun the act of throwing dice
    roll.
  8. noun the act of throwing a fishing line out over the water by means of a rod and reel
    casting.
  9. noun a violent throw
    hurl.
  10. verb put or send forth
    project; contrive; throw.
    • She threw the flashlight beam into the corner
    • The setting sun threw long shadows
    • cast a spell
    • cast a warm light
  11. verb deposit
    • cast a vote
    • cast a ballot
  12. verb select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet
    • He cast a young woman in the role of Desdemona
  13. verb throw forcefully
    hurtle; hurl.
  14. verb assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors
    • Who cast this beautiful movie?
  15. verb move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
    ramble; stray; swan; drift; wander; tramp; range; rove; roam; vagabond; roll.
    • The gypsies roamed the woods
    • roving vagabonds
    • the wandering Jew
    • The cattle roam across the prairie
    • the laborers drift from one town to the next
    • They rolled from town to town
  16. verb form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
    mould; mold.
    • cast a bronze sculpture
  17. verb get rid of
    shake off; shed; throw away; throw off; drop; cast off; throw.
    • he shed his image as a pushy boss
    • shed your clothes
  18. verb choose at random
    draw.
    • draw a card
    • cast lots
  19. verb formulate in a particular style or language
    put; redact; frame; couch.
    • I wouldn't put it that way
    • She cast her request in very polite language
  20. verb eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
    retch; regorge; be sick; disgorge; spew; vomit up; puke; honk; cat; purge; spue; upchuck; vomit; sick; barf; regurgitate; throw up; chuck.
    • After drinking too much, the students vomited
    • He purged continuously
    • The patient regurgitated the food we gave him last night

WordNet

Cast transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. Dan. kastw, Icel. & Sw. kasta; perh. akin to L. gerer to bear, carry. E. Jest.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Cast; present participle & verbal noun Casting
Definitions
  1. To send or drive by force; to throw; to fling; to hurl; to impel.
    Uzziash prepared . . . slings to cast stones. 2 Chron. xxvi. 14
    Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. Acts. xii. 8
    We must be cast upon a certain island. Acts. xxvii. 26.
  2. To direct or turn, as the eyes.
    How earnestly he cast his eyes upon me! Shak.
  3. To drop; to deposit; as, to cast a ballot.
  4. To throw down, as in wrestling. Shak.
  5. To throw up, as a mound, or rampart.
    Thine enemies shall cast a trench [bank] about thee. Luke xix. 48.
  6. To throw off; to eject; to shed; to lose.
    His filth within being cast. Shak.
    Neither shall your vine cast her fruit. Mal. iii. 11
    The creatures that cast the skin are the snake, the viper, etc. Bacon.
  7. To bring forth prematurely; to slink.
    Thy she-goats have not cast their young. Gen. xxi. 38.
  8. To throw out or emit; to exhale. Obs.
    This . . . casts a sulphureous smell. Woodward.
  9. To cause to fall; to shed; to reflect; to throw; as, to cast a ray upon a screen; to cast light upon a subject.
  10. To impose; to bestow; to rest.
    The government I cast upon my brother. Shak.
    Cast thy burden upon the Lord. Ps. iv. 22.
  11. To dismiss; to discard; to cashier. Obs.
    The state can not with safety casthim.
  12. To compute; to reckon; to calculate; as, to cast a horoscope. "Let it be cast and paid." Shak.
    You cast the event of war my noble lord. Shak.
  13. To contrive; to plan. Archaic
    The cloister . . . had, I doubt not, been cast for [an orange- house]. Sir W. Temple.
  14. To defeat in a lawsuit; to decide against; to convict; as, to be cast in damages.
    She was cast to be hanged. Jeffrey.
    Were the case referred to any competent judge, they would inevitably be cast. Dr. H. More.
  15. To turn (the balance or scale); to overbalance; hence, to make preponderate; to decide; as, a casting voice.
    How much interest casts the balance in cases dubious! South.
  16. To form into a particular shape, by pouring liquid metal or other material into a mold; to fashion; to found; as, to cast bells, stoves, bullets.
  17. (Print.) To stereotype or electrotype.
  18. To fix, distribute, or allot, as the parts of a play among actors; also to assign (an actor) for a part.
    Our parts in the other world will be new cast. Addison.
Cast intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To throw, as a line in angling, esp, with a fly hook.
  2. (Naut.) To turn the head of a vessel around from the wind in getting under weigh.
    Weigh anchor, cast to starboard. Totten.
  3. To consider; to turn or revolve in the mind; to plan; as, to cast about for reasons.
    She . . . cast in her mind what manner of salution this should be. Luke. i. 29.
  4. To calculate; to compute. R.
    Who would cast and balance at a desk. Tennyson.
  5. To receive form or shape in a mold.
    It will not run thin, so as to cast and mold. Woodward.
  6. To warp; to become twisted out of shape.
    Stuff is said to cast or warp when . . . it alters its flatness or straightness. Moxon.
  7. To vomit.
    These verses . . . make me ready to cast. B. Jonson.
Cast
Definitions
  1. 3d pres. of Cast, for Casteth. Obs. Chaucer.
Cast noun
Etymology
Cf. Icel., Dan., & Sw. kast.
Definitions
  1. The act of casting or throwing; a throw.
  2. The thing thrown.
    A cast of dreadful dust. Dryden.
  3. The distance to which a thing is or can be thrown. "About a stone's cast." Luke xxii. 41.
  4. A throw of dice; hence, a chance or venture.
    An even cast whether the army should march this way or that way. Sowth.
    I have set my life upon a cast, And I will stand the hazard of the die. Shak.
  5. That which is throw out or off, shed, or ejected; as, the skin of an insect, the refuse from a hawk's stomach, the excrement of a earthworm.
  6. The act of casting in a mold.
    And why such daily cast of brazen cannon. Shak.
  7. An impression or mold, taken from a thing or person; amold; a pattern.
  8. That which is formed in a mild; esp. a reproduction or copy, as of a work of art, in bronze or plaster, etc.; a casting.
  9. Form; appearence; mien; air; style; as, a pecullar cast of countenance. "A neat cast of verse." Pope.
    An heroic poem, but in another cast and figure. Prior.
    And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought. Shak.
  10. A tendency to any color; a tinge; a shade.
    Gray with a cast of green. Woodward.
  11. A chance, opportunity, privilege, or advantage; specifically, an opportunity of riding; a lift. Scotch
    We bargained with the driver to give us a cast to the next stage. Smollett.
    If we had the cast o' a cart to bring it. Sir W. Scott.
  12. The assignment of parts in a play to the actors.
  13. (Falconary) A flight or a couple or set of hawks let go at one time from the hand. Grabb.
    As when a cast of falcons make their flight. Spenser.
  14. A stoke, touch, or trick. Obs.
    This was a cast of Wood's politics; for his information was wholly false. Swift.
  15. A motion or turn, as of the eye; direction; look; glance; squint.
    The cast of the eye is a gesture of aversion. Bacon.
    And let you see with one cast of an eye. Addison.
    This freakish, elvish cast came into the child's eye. Hawthorne.
  16. A tube or funnel for conveying metal into a mold.
  17. Four; that is, as many as are thrown into a vessel at once in counting herrings, etc; a warp.
  18. Contrivance; plot, design. Obs. Chaucer.

Webster 1913