To chuck means to throw something in a casual, careless way. When you chuck a ball to your friend across the yard, you're not carefully aiming like a pitcher on the mound. You're just tossing it over without much thought or effort. You might chuck an apple core toward the compost bin, or chuck your backpack onto your bed after school.

The word suggests a certain informality, even a bit of dismissiveness. If you chuck something in the trash, you're not gently placing it there. You're done with it and getting rid of it without ceremony. When a frustrated student chucks an eraser across the room, they're expressing their annoyance through the careless toss.

Chuck can also mean to give up on something or quit. If you're working on a difficult puzzle and decide to chuck it, you're abandoning the effort entirely. A runner who chucks their training plan has decided to stop following it.

You might hear the phrase chuck it out, meaning to throw something away. The British sometimes say “chuck it in the bin” where Americans would say “toss it in the trash.”