CAST

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does cast mean? 

• CAST (noun)
  The noun CAST has 9 senses:

1. the actors in a play

2. container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens

3. the distinctive form in which a thing is made

4. the visual appearance of something or someone

5. bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal

6. object formed by a mold

7. the act of throwing dice

8. the act of throwing a fishing line out over the water by means of a rod and reel

9. a violent throw

  Familiarity information: CAST used as a noun is familiar.

• CAST (verb)
  The verb CAST has 11 senses:

1. put or send forth

2. deposit

3. select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet

4. throw forcefully

5. assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors

6. move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

7. form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold

8. get rid of

9. choose at random

10. formulate in a particular style or language

11. eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

  Familiarity information: CAST used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CAST (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The actors in a play

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

cast; cast of characters; dramatis personae

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

assemblage; gathering (a group of persons together in one place)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cast"):

ensemble; supporting players (a cast other than the principals)

Holonyms ("cast" is a member of...):

company; troupe (organization of performers and associated personnel (especially theatrical))

Derivation:

cast (select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet)

cast (assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cast; mold; mould

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

container (any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cast"):

form (a mold for setting concrete)

matrix (mold used in the production of phonograph records, type, or other relief surface)

pig; pig bed (mold consisting of a bed of sand in which pig iron is cast)

sandbox (mold consisting of a box with sand shaped to mold metal)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The distinctive form in which a thing is made

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

cast; mold; mould; stamp

Context example:

pottery of this cast was found throughout the region

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

solid (a three-dimensional shape)

Derivation:

cast (formulate in a particular style or language)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The visual appearance of something or someone

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

cast; form; shape

Context example:

the delicate cast of his features

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

appearance; visual aspect (outward or visible aspect of a person or thing)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cast; plaster bandage; plaster cast

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

bandage; patch (a piece of soft material that covers and protects an injured part of the body)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Object formed by a mold

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cast; casting

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

copy (a thing made to be similar or identical to another thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cast"):

death mask (a cast taken from the face of a dead person)

block; cylinder block; engine block (a metal casting containing the cylinders and cooling ducts of an engine)

life mask (a cast taken from the face of a living person)

Derivation:

cast (form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of throwing dice

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

cast; roll

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

throw (casting an object in order to determine an outcome randomly)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cast"):

natural ((craps) a first roll of 7 or 11 that immediately wins the stake)

Holonyms ("cast" is a part of...):

craps (a gambling game played with two dice; a first throw of 7 or 11 wins and a first throw of 2, 3, or 12 loses and a first throw of any other number must be repeated to win before a 7 is thrown, which loses the bet and the dice)

Derivation:

cast (choose at random)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The act of throwing a fishing line out over the water by means of a rod and reel

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

cast; casting

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

fishing; sportfishing (the act of someone who fishes as a diversion)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cast"):

fly casting (casting an artificial fly as a lure)

bait casting (the single-handed rod casting of a relatively heavy (artificial) bait)

surf casting; surf fishing (casting (artificial) bait far out into the ocean (up to 200 yards) with the waves breaking around you)

overcast (a cast that falls beyond the intended spot)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A violent throw

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

cast; hurl

Hypernyms ("cast" is a kind of...):

throw (the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist))

Derivation:

cast (put or send forth)

cast (throw forcefully)

• CAST (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put or send forth

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

cast; contrive; project; throw

Context example:

cast a warm light

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

direct; send (cause to go somewhere)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cast"):

shoot (send forth suddenly, intensely, swiftly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

cast (a violent throw)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Deposit

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

cast a ballot

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

give (convey or reveal information)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

He cast a young woman in the role of Desdemona

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

"Cast" entails doing...:

present; represent; stage (perform (a play), especially on a stage)

film (record in film)

do; execute; perform (carry out or perform an action)

Verb group:

cast (assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors)

Domain category:

performing arts (arts or skills that require public performance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cast"):

recast (cast again, in a different role)

miscast (cast an actor, singer, or dancer in an unsuitable role)

typecast (cast repeatedly in the same kind of role)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

cast (the actors in a play)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Throw forcefully

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

cast; hurl; hurtle

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

throw (propel through the air)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cast"):

bowl (hurl a cricket ball from one end of the pitch towards the batsman at the other end)

precipitate (hurl or throw violently)

catapult; sling (hurl as if with a sling)

crash; dash (hurl or thrust violently)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They cast the object in the water

Also:

cast anchor (secure a vessel with an anchor)

Derivation:

cast (a violent throw)

casting (the act of throwing a fishing line out over the water by means of a rod and reel)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

Who cast this beautiful movie?

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

assign; delegate; depute; designate (give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person))

Verb group:

cast (select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Sam and Sue cast the movie

Derivation:

cast (the actors in a play)

casting (the choice of actors to play particular roles in a play or movie)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

cast; drift; ramble; range; roam; roll; rove; stray; swan; tramp; vagabond; wander

Context example:

They rolled from town to town

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Verb group:

drift; err; stray (wander from a direct course or at random)

wander (go via an indirect route or at no set pace)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cast"):

maunder (wander aimlessly)

gad; gallivant; jazz around (wander aimlessly in search of pleasure)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 7

Meaning:

Form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

cast; mold; mould

Context example:

cast a bronze sculpture

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

forge; form; mold; mould; shape; work (make something, usually for a specific function)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cast"):

press; press out (press from a plastic)

recast; remold; remould (cast again)

sand cast (pour molten metal into a mold of sand)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

Did he cast his major works over a short period of time?

Derivation:

cast (object formed by a mold)

caster (a worker who casts molten metal into finished products)

casting (the act of creating something by casting it in a mold)

casting (object formed by a mold)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Get rid of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

cast; cast off; drop; shake off; shed; throw; throw away; throw off

Context example:

shed your clothes

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cast"):

exuviate; molt; moult; shed; slough (cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers)

abscise (shed flowers and leaves and fruit following formation of a scar tissue)

exfoliate (cast off in scales, laminae, or splinters)

autotomise; autotomize (cause a body part to undergo autotomy)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Choose at random

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Synonyms:

cast; draw

Context example:

cast lots

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

go; move (have a turn; make one's move in a game)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

cast (the act of throwing dice)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Formulate in a particular style or language

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cast; couch; frame; put; redact

Context example:

She cast her request in very polite language

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

articulate; formulate; give voice; phrase; word (put into words or an expression)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

cast (the distinctive form in which a thing is made)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

barf; be sick; cast; cat; chuck; disgorge; honk; puke; purge; regorge; regurgitate; retch; sick; spew; spue; throw up; upchuck; vomit; vomit up

Context example:

The patient regurgitated the food we gave him last night

Hypernyms (to "cast" is one way to...):

egest; eliminate; excrete; pass (eliminate from the body)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

 Context examples 

When the king saw him he fell into a passion, and ordered him to be cast into the deepest dungeon.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

As she left them the milkmaid cast many reproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nicked elbow close to her side.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The star is ending its life by casting off its outer layers of gas, which formed a cocoon around the star's remaining core.

(Hubble Views a Colorful Demise of a Sun-like Star, NASA)

The strong winds cast out by the most massive stars, called O-type stars, can generate these expanding puffs, as can their explosive deaths as supernovas.

(Herschel sees budding stars and a giant, strange ring, NASA)

On the fifth of December, 1715, we cast anchor in the Downs, about nine in the morning, and at three in the afternoon I got safe to my house at Rotherhith.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

After having found such a motif, he cast about for the particular persons and particular location in time and space wherewith and wherein to utter the universal thing.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

It also demonstrates that the deep, dense, inner layers of a star, where heavy elements and radioactive isotopes are forged, can be churned up and cast into space by stellar collisions.

(Stellar Corpse Reveals Origin of Radioactive Molecules, ESO)

A 2016 report also cast doubt on possible sources of underground water at RSL sites.

(Recurring Martian Streaks: Flowing Sand, Not Water?, NASA)

The determination of the presence or absence of casts in a sample.

(Cast Present Or Absent, NCI Thesaurus)

A measurement of the broad casts in a biological specimen.

(Broad Casts Measurement, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)