throw down
verb
throw down is spelled T-H-R-O-W-D-O-W-N: 9 letters. As a verb, throw down means “To cause something one is holding to drop, often forcefully” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in throw down?
| Letters | 9: T-H-R-O-W-D-O-W-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | a phrase: the frequency list counts single words |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce throw down?
- Australia
- Australia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-throw_down.ogg, En-au-throw-down.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with throw down
Also written: throwdown (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of throw down
- throws down present, singular, he/she/it
- throwing down participle, present
- threw down past
- thrown down participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does throw down mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause something one is holding to drop, often forcefully.
The soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered.
- 2
datedTo destroy or demolish.
to throw down a tower
- 3
slangTo produce or perform (something) admirably or forcefully.
- 4
slangTo accomplish or produce something in a grand, respectable, or successful manner; to "represent".
- 5
slangTo 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
slangTo fight; to make a stand.
- 7
slangTo make an individual contribution to a group effort (e.g. money pool, collaborative record album).
"We're goin' in on a pizza; you in?" "Yeah, I'll throw down."
noun
- 1
Alternative spelling of throwdown.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does throw down come from?
US, popularized 1970s in street culture, from idiom throw down the gauntlet (“to issue a challenge”), used in sense “to fight, to incite a fight, to make a stand” or otherwise get about partying with abandon (first used by Jay Johnson in Detroit in 1978 - taken nationally by Cecil Franklin, manager/brother of Aretha Franklin). Sense of “accomplish something respectable” evolved from sense “to make a stand, to exhibit, to demonstrate (in a challenging way)” inherent in the fighting sense.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).