Meaning & use
hat toss
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The act of throwing a hat, especially a graduation cap, into the air to celebrate.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a hat toss' or 'the hat toss'.
Patterns
- a hat toss
- the hat toss
- at the hat toss
After the ceremony, the graduates took part in a noisy hat toss.
The hat toss is a beloved tradition at many American universities.
Photos of the hat toss filled social media that afternoon.
nouncountable
A game or contest in which players try to throw a hat onto a target.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'play' or 'win'.
Patterns
- play hat toss
- win the hat toss
The children played hat toss at the school fair.
He won the hat toss by landing his cap on the post.
Word forms
| plural | hat tosses |
|---|
Common combinations
- graduation hat toss
- The graduation hat toss was the highlight of the day.
- traditional hat toss
- The traditional hat toss dates back many years.
- join the hat toss
- Everyone ran outside to join the hat toss.
- hat toss ceremony
- The hat toss ceremony ended with cheers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cap toss
- Almost the same, but it specifically refers to graduation caps rather than any hat.
Word family
Commonly confused: hat toss or hat trick?
hat toss vs hat trick
A hat trick is three goals or successes, not a throwing action.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hat toss' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Hat toss' is a noun meaning the act of throwing hats in celebration, so 'celebrated with a hat toss' fits. 'Hat trick' is the sports term for three goals, so option 1 is wrong. 'Hat toss' is not a piece of clothing, and it cannot be used as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “hat toss”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.