tost: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
ArchaicLiterary
Quick answer
What does “tost” mean?
The past tense and past participle of 'toss', meaning to have thrown or flung something lightly and casually.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The past tense and past participle of 'toss', meaning to have thrown or flung something lightly and casually.
Often used metaphorically to describe being agitated or disturbed, as by waves, winds, or emotions.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in usage between British and American English, as both varieties use the modern 'tossed'. 'Tost' is equally archaic in both.
Connotations
Carries a poetic, old-fashioned, or dramatic connotation, often used for stylistic effect in literature.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary usage; more likely to be encountered in classical literature or historical contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “tost” in a Sentence
transitive: tost + direct object (e.g., tost the manuscript)intransitive: subject + tost (e.g., the leaves tost)passive: be tost + by-agent (e.g., was tost by the storm)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “tost” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The sailor tost the rope to his mate.
- In the tale, the hero was tost by monstrous waves.
American English
- He tost the frisbee across the park.
- The old diary described how they were tost in the blizzard.
adverb
British English
- He moved tost, with hurried gestures.
- She spoke tost, her words tumbling out.
American English
- The flag fluttered tost in the strong wind.
- They debated tost, without reaching consensus.
adjective
British English
- The tost papers lay scattered by the gale.
- A tost salad, lightly dressed, was served.
American English
- The tost bread made for a rustic appetizer.
- Feeling tost after the ordeal, he sought rest.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not applicable; not used in business contexts.
Academic
Occasionally used in literary analysis, historical linguistics, or poetry studies.
Everyday
Not used in everyday conversation; would sound archaic or affected.
Technical
Not applicable in technical fields.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “tost”
- Using 'tost' in modern writing instead of the standard 'tossed'.
- Mispronouncing it as /toʊst/ (like 'toast') due to spelling similarity.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, 'tost' is an archaic form and is not used in contemporary English; the standard modern form is 'tossed'.
While primarily a verb form, in rare literary contexts, 'tost' might appear adjectivally, but this is not standard in modern usage.
It is pronounced identically to 'tossed', with IPA /tɒst/ in British English and /tɑst/ in American English.
'Tost' is an older irregular form of 'toss' that was replaced as English verb conjugations regularized, leading to the dominant form 'tossed'.
The past tense and past participle of 'toss', meaning to have thrown or flung something lightly and casually.
Tost is usually literary in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “tost on the seas of fortune”
- “tost and turned by doubt”
- “leave tost in the wake”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Link 'tost' to 'toss' with an 'e' dropped, similar to how 'lost' derives from 'lose' in older English.
Conceptual Metaphor
Life's uncertainties are storms that tost us like ships on a turbulent sea.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary modern equivalent of the archaic word 'tost'?