cast

/kæst/

/kɑst/

Other forms: casting; casts

A cast is the group of actors who make up a film or stage play. And the act of being chosen for the part? Well, they were cast by the director. That's showbiz for you.

Cast also refers to various types of actions a person can take: if you throw out a fishing line in a particular way, you are said to cast it; if you fancy your chances in Vegas, you cast the dice at the craps table. And if you break a limb and they bandage it up in solid plaster for your friends to write all over? That, too, is a cast.

Definitions of cast

1. verb

   put or send forth
   “cast a spell”

   “cast a warm light”

   synonyms: contrive, project, throw

   types:

   shoot

   send forth suddenly, intensely, swiftly

   type of:

   direct, send

   cause to go somewhere
2. verb

   throw forcefully
   synonyms: hurl, hurtle

   types:

   crash, dash

   hurl or thrust violently

   precipitate

   hurl or throw violently

   catapult, sling

   hurl as if with a sling

   bowl

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

   type of:

   throw

   propel through the air
3. verb

   eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
   synonyms: barf, be sick, chuck, disgorge, regurgitate, throw up, vomit, vomit up

   type of:

   egest, eliminate, excrete, pass

   eliminate from the body
4. noun

   a violent throw
   synonyms: hurl

   type of:

   throw

   the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist)
5. noun

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

   types:

   bait casting

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

   fly casting

   casting an artificial fly as a lure

   overcast

   a cast that falls beyond the intended spot

   surf casting, surf fishing

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

   type of:

   fishing, sportfishing

   the act of someone who fishes as a diversion
6. noun

   the act of throwing dice
   synonyms: roll

   types:

   natural

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

   type of:

   throw

   casting an object in order to determine an outcome randomly
7. verb

   deposit
   “cast a vote”

   “cast a ballot”

   type of:

   give

   convey or reveal information
8. verb

   choose at random
   “cast lots”

   synonyms: draw

   type of:

   go, move

   have a turn; make one's move in a game
9. noun

   the actors in a play
   synonyms: cast of characters, dramatis personae

   types:

   ensemble, supporting players

   a cast other than the principals

   type of:

   assemblage, gathering

   a group of persons together in one place
10. verb

    select to play,sing, or dance a part in a play, movie, musical, opera, or ballet
    “He cast a young woman in the role of Desdemona”

    types:

    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

    type of:

    assign, delegate, depute, designate

    give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)
11. verb

    assign the roles of (a movie or a play) to actors
    “Who cast this beautiful movie?”

    type of:

    assign, delegate, depute, designate

    give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)
12. verb

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

    synonyms: mold, mould

    types:

    press, press out

    press from a plastic

    recast, remold, remould

    cast again

    sand cast

    pour molten metal into a mold of sand

    type of:

    forge, form, mold, mould, shape, work

    make something, usually for a specific function
13. verb

    formulate in a particular style or language
    “She cast her request in very polite language”

    synonyms: couch, frame, put, redact

    type of:

    articulate, formulate, give voice, phrase, word

    put into words or an expression
14. noun

    container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
    synonyms: mold, mould

    types:

    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

    type 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)
15. noun

    the distinctive form in which a thing is made
    “pottery of this cast was found throughout the region”

    synonyms: mold, mould, stamp

    type of:

    solid

    a three-dimensional shape
16. noun

    object formed by a mold
    synonyms: casting

    types:

    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

    type of:

    copy

    a thing made to be similar or identical to another thing
17. noun

    the visual appearance of something or someone
    “the delicate cast of his features”

    synonyms: form, shape

    type of:

    appearance, visual aspect

    outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
18. noun

    bandage consisting of a firm covering (often made of plaster of Paris) that immobilizes broken bones while they heal
    synonyms: plaster bandage, plaster cast

    type of:

    bandage, patch

    a piece of soft material that covers and protects an injured part of the body
19. verb

    get rid of
    synonyms: cast off, drop, shake off, shed, throw, throw away, throw off

    types:

    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

    desquamate, peel off

    peel off in scales

    type of:

    remove, take, take away, withdraw

    remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
20. verb

    move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
    synonyms: drift, ramble, range, roam, roll, rove, stray, swan, tramp, vagabond, wander

    drift, err, stray

    wander from a direct course or at random

    wander

    go via an indirect route or at no set pace

    types:

    maunder

    wander aimlessly

    gad, gallivant, jazz around

    wander aimlessly in search of pleasure

    type of:

    go, locomote, move, travel

    change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically