throw in the towel
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To give up; to admit defeat.
Literally: A boxer’s corner throwing a towel into the ring to stop the fight.
How to use it
✓ Use it when
Describing surrender after a long struggle.
Register: informalConnotation: resignedEra: Early 20th century – present
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
After two years of losses, they threw in the towel and closed the shop.
Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Figurative class: Euphemism (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “throw in the towel” mean?
To give up; to admit defeat. Literally: A boxer’s corner throwing a towel into the ring to stop the fight.
Is “throw in the towel” formal or informal?
throw in the towel is generally informal; connotation: resigned.