Toss vs. Dump — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 2, 2024
Toss implies gently or casually throwing something, often with care; dump means disposing of something more abruptly and without consideration.
Difference Between Toss and Dump
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Toss involves a light or gentle throw, often used in casual or non-destructive contexts. Whereas, dump generally refers to unloading or discarding something heavily or carelessly, typically used when dealing with waste or unwanted items.
When you toss something, the action is usually controlled and precise, such as tossing a ball to someone or a salad in a bowl. On the other hand, dumping is often more haphazard and involves larger quantities, like dumping trash in a bin or rubble at a site.
Tossing can also imply a playful or non-serious action, often associated with games or light activities. Conversely, dumping is usually a more serious and final action, indicating the removal of unwanted or useless materials.
In some contexts, to toss something can mean to consider it lightly or briefly, as in tossing around an idea. In contrast, dumping something can have a negative connotation, such as abruptly ending a relationship or quitting a job without notice.
While tossing something can be reversible or non-destructive, such as tossing a coin or a pillow, dumping is typically irreversible, like dumping toxic waste or clearing out a storage room.
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Comparison Chart
Intention
Light, gentle throw.
Heavy, careless disposal.
Context
Casual, controlled.
Haphazard, large quantities.
Connotation
Playful, non-serious.
Serious, final.
Examples
Tossing a ball, tossing a salad.
Dumping trash, dumping rubble.
Reversibility
Often reversible.
Typically irreversible.
Compare with Definitions
Toss
Gently stir or mix.
She tossed the salad before serving.
Dump
Remove unwanted items.
He dumped all the old clothes from the closet.
Toss
Playfully throw.
He tossed the pillow at his friend.
Dump
Terminate abruptly.
He dumped his old car for a new model.
Toss
Light throw.
He will toss the ball to you.
Dump
Discard carelessly.
They dump their waste in the dumpster.
Toss
Flip to decide.
They decided to toss a coin.
Dump
Unload quickly.
The truck dumped the gravel on the site.
Toss
Consider briefly.
They tossed around a few ideas.
Dump
Informal.
She dumped him and moved on.
Toss
To throw lightly or casually or with a sudden jerk
Tossed the shirt on the floor.
Dump
To release or throw down in a large mass.
Toss
To throw or propel upward
The bull tossed him over the fence.
Dump
To empty (material) out of a container or vehicle
Dumped the load of stones.
Toss
To throw or propel to the ground
The horse tossed its rider.
Dump
To empty out (a container or vehicle), as by overturning or tilting.
Toss
To cause to move from side to side or up and down
Boats that were tossed by the storm.
Dump
To get rid of; discard
A fine for dumping trash on public land.
Dumped the extra gear overboard.
Toss
To move or lift (the head) with a sudden motion.
Dump
(Informal) To discard or reject unceremoniously
Dump an old friend.
Toss
To mix (food) lightly so as to cover with dressing or sauce
Toss a salad.
Dump
To place (goods or stock, for example) on the market in large quantities and at a low price.
Toss
To discuss informally; bandy
Tossed the idea around.
Dump
(Computers) To transfer (data stored internally in a computer) from one place to another, as from a memory to a printout, without processing.
Toss
To flip (coins) in order to decide an issue.
Dump
(Slang) To knock down; beat.
Toss
To flip coins with
I'll toss you to see who goes first.
Dump
To fall or drop abruptly.
Toss
To put in a given position, condition, or situation
Tossed the suspect in jail.
Dump
To discharge cargo or contents; unload.
Toss
To throw away; discard
I tossed the newspaper after reading it.
Dump
(Slang) To criticize another severely
Was always dumping on me.
Toss
To disqualify or eject
The starter was tossed for throwing illegal pitches.
Dump
A place where refuse is dumped
A garbage dump.
A nuclear waste dump.
Toss
To be thrown here and there; be flung to and fro or up and down
The canoe tossed about on the waves.
Dump
A storage place for goods or supplies; a depot
An ammunition dump.
Toss
To move about restlessly; twist and turn
Toss in one's sleep.
Dump
An unordered accumulation; a pile.
Toss
To flip a coin to decide an issue.
Dump
(Computers) An instance or the result of dumping stored data.
Toss
The act of tossing something
The toss of a hat.
Dump
(Slang) A poorly maintained or disreputable place.
Toss
The distance that something is or can be tossed.
Dump
Vulgar Slang An act of defecating. Often used with take.
Toss
An abrupt upward movement, as of the head.
Dump
A place where waste or garbage is left; a ground or place for dumping ashes, refuse, etc.; a disposal site.
A toxic waste dump.
Toss
A flipping of a coin to decide an issue
The home team won the toss and elected to receive.
Dump
A car or boat for dumping refuse, etc.
Toss
A throw, a lob, of a ball etc., with an initial upward direction, particularly with a lack of care.
Dump
That which is dumped, especially in a chaotic way; a mess.
Toss
The coin toss before a cricket match in order to decide who bats first, or before a football match in order to decide the direction of play.
Dump
(computing) An act of dumping, or its result.
The new XML dump is coming soon.
Toss
A haughty throwing up of the head.
Dump
(computing) A formatted listing of the contents of program storage, especially when produced automatically by a failing program.
Toss
(British slang) A jot, in the phrase 'give a toss'.
I couldn't give a toss about her.
Dump
A storage place for supplies, especially military.
Toss
(British slang) A state of agitation; commotion.
Dump
(slang) An unpleasant, dirty, disreputable, unfashionable, boring, or depressing looking place.
This place looks like a dump.
Don't feel bad about moving away from this dump.
Toss
Concern or consideration.
I don't give a toss.
Dump
An act of defecation; a defecating.
I have to take a dump.
Toss
A measure of sprats.
Dump
A sad, gloomy state of the mind; sadness; melancholy; despondency.
Toss
To throw with an initial upward direction.
Toss it over here!
Dump
Absence of mind; reverie.
Toss
To lift with a sudden or violent motion.
To toss the head
Dump
(mining) A pile of ore or rock.
Toss
To agitate; to make restless.
Dump
(obsolete) A melancholy strain or tune in music; any tune.
Toss
To subject to trials; to harass.
Dump
(obsolete) An old kind of dance.
Toss
To flip a coin, to decide a point of contention.
We should toss for it.
I'll toss you for it.
Dump
A small coin made by punching a hole in a larger coin (called a holey dollar).
Toss
To discard; to throw away.
I don't need it any more; you can just toss it.
Dump
(marketing) A temporary display case that holds many copies of an item being sold.
Toss
To stir or mix (a salad).
To toss a salad; a tossed salad.
Dump
A thick, ill-shapen piece.
Toss
(British slang) To masturbate
Dump
A lead counter used in the game of chuck-farthing.
Toss
To search (a room or a cell), sometimes leaving visible disorder, as for valuables or evidence of a crime.
Dump
(Northern England) A deep hole in a river bed; a pool.
Toss
(intransitive) To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion.
Tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep
Dump
(transitive) To release, especially in large quantities and chaotic manner.
Toss
(intransitive) To be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean, or as a ship in heavy seas.
Dump
(transitive) To discard; to get rid of something one no longer wants.
Toss
(obsolete) To keep in play; to tumble over.
Dump
(transitive) To sell below cost or very cheaply; to engage in dumping.
Toss
(rowing) To peak (the oars), to lift them from the rowlocks and hold them perpendicularly, the handle resting on the bottom of the boat.
Dump
To copy (data) from a system to another place or system, usually in order to archive it.
To dump the ROM from a rare Nintendo game cartridge
Toss
(British slang) To drink in large draughts; to gulp.
Dump
To output the contents of storage or a data structure, often in order to diagnose a bug.
Toss
To vomit.
Dump
To end a romantic relationship with.
Sarah dumped Nelson after finding out he was cheating on her.
Toss
To throw with the hand; especially, to throw with the palm of the hand upward, or to throw upward; as, to toss a ball.
Dump
To knock heavily; to stump.
Toss
To lift or throw up with a sudden or violent motion; as, to toss the head.
He tossed his arm aloft, and proudly told me,He would not stay.
Dump
(transitive) To put or throw down with more or less of violence; hence, to unload from a cart by tilting it
We dumped the coal onto the fireplace.
Toss
To cause to rise and fall; as, a ship tossed on the waves in a storm.
We being exceedingly tossed with a tempest.
Dump
To precipitate (especially snow) heavily.
Toss
To agitate; to make restless.
Calm region once,And full of peace, now tossed and turbulent.
Dump
Of a surf wave, to crash a swimmer, surfer, etc., heavily downwards.
Toss
Hence, to try; to harass.
Whom devils fly, thus is he tossed of men.
Dump
A thick, ill-shapen piece; a clumsy leaden counter used by boys in playing chuck farthing.
Toss
To keep in play; to tumble over; as, to spend four years in tossing the rules of grammar.
Dump
A dull, gloomy state of the mind; sadness; melancholy; low spirits or a mild depression; despondency; ill humor; - now used only in the plural.
March slowly on in solemn dump.
Doleful dumps the mind oppress.
I was musing in the midst of my dumps.
Toss
To roll and tumble; to be in violent commotion; to write; to fling.
To toss and fling, and to be restless, only frets and enrages our pain.
Dump
Absence of mind; revery.
Toss
To be tossed, as a fleet on the ocean.
Dump
A melancholy strain or tune in music; any tune.
Toss
A throwing upward, or with a jerk; the act of tossing; as, the toss of a ball.
Dump
An old kind of dance.
Toss
A throwing up of the head; a particular manner of raising the head with a jerk.
Dump
A car or boat for dumping refuse, etc.
Toss
The act of flipping a coin
Dump
A ground or place for dumping ashes, refuse, etc.
Toss
(sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team;
The pass was fumbled
Dump
That which is dumped.
Toss
An abrupt movement;
A toss of his head
Dump
A pile of ore or rock.
Toss
Throw or toss with a light motion;
Flip me the beachball
Toss me newspaper
Dump
A coarse term for defecation.
Toss
Lightly throw to see which side comes up;
I don't know what to do--I may as well flip a coin!
Dump
To knock heavily; to stump.
Toss
Throw carelessly;
Chuck the ball
Dump
To put or throw down with more or less of violence; hence, to unload from a cart by tilting it; as, to dump sand, coal, etc.
Toss
Move or stir about violently;
The feverish patient thrashed around in his bed
Dump
A coarse term for defecation;
He took a shit
Toss
Throw or cast away;
Put away your worries
Dump
A piece of land where waste materials are dumped
Toss
Agitate;
Toss the salad
Dump
(computer science) a copy of the contents of a computer storage device; sometimes used in debugging programs
Dump
Throw away as refuse;
No dumping in these woods!
Dump
Sever all ties with, usually unceremoniously or irresponsibly;
The company dumped him after many years of service
She dumped her boyfriend when she fell in love with a rich man
Dump
Sell at artificially low prices
Dump
Drop in a heap or mass
Dump
Fall abruptly;
It plunged to the bottom of the well
Dump
Knock down with force;
He decked his opponent
Common Curiosities
Can both toss and dump be used interchangeably?
No, because toss suggests a lighter, more careful action compared to the heavier, more careless connotation of dump.
What is the main difference between toss and dump?
Toss implies a gentle or controlled throw; dump indicates careless disposal.
What contexts are appropriate for using toss?
Toss is suitable for light, casual actions like throwing a ball or mixing a salad.
Does tossing always involve physical objects?
No, tossing can also refer to considering ideas briefly.
How does the physical effort compare between tossing and dumping?
Tossing requires less effort and is more precise, while dumping is more forceful and less controlled.
In what situations is it better to use dump?
Dump is used when discarding or unloading large quantities or unwanted items, such as garbage.
Can tossing be a playful action?
Yes, tossing is often used in playful contexts, like tossing a ball in a game.
What does "dumping your problems" imply?
It suggests getting rid of problems without resolving them properly.
Is dump ever used in a positive sense?
Rarely, as it usually involves getting rid of something undesirable.
What does "tossing a salad" mean?
It refers to mixing the ingredients of a salad lightly with dressing.
Is dumping only associated with negative outcomes?
Often, but not exclusively, as it can also refer to necessary actions like dumping construction material.
What does it mean to dump someone in a relationship?
It means to end the relationship abruptly and without consideration.
Is there an emotional connotation to dumping?
Yes, dumping often carries a negative emotional connotation, especially in social contexts.
Can you toss something heavy?
Typically, tossing implies handling lighter objects; heavy items would not be tossed due to the risk of damage or injury.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
