Meaning & Origin

“Throw in the towel” means to quit after persistent difficulty — to concede defeat and stop trying. The image comes from boxing, where a trainer throws a towel into the ring to signal surrender and protect the fighter.

Pronunciation Guide

• throw — rhymes with “go.”
• towel — two sounds: “tow‑uhl.”
• Natural rhythm: THROW in the TOW‑el.

Usage & Sentence Examples

Use it when someone decides to stop pursuing a plan after setbacks.

• If the next round falls through, we may have to throw in the towel.
• She refused to throw in the towel despite the delays.
• After months of bugs, the team threw in the towel on that library.
• Don’t throw in the towel yet — try one more iteration.
• They threw in the towel on the lawsuit and settled.
• He almost threw in the towel, then found a simpler approach.

Synonyms

give up · quit · concede defeat · call it quits · wave the white flag · bow out