throwing in towel
Admitting total defeat
Throwing in the towel is giving up or admitting defeat, from boxing, where a fighter's corner literally throws a towel into the ring to stop the fight.
The phrase applies to any situation where someone abandons an effort: After months of failed negotiations, the company threw in the towel.
Also *throw in the towel*.
- surrenderCease resistance, yield
- quitCease doing something
- giving upChoosing to stop trying
- defeatVictory over another
- concedeAdmit something reluctantly
boxing · ring · corner · down for the count · forfeit · capitulate · exhaustion · beaten · crying uncle · retreat · white flag · wave the white flag · admit defeat · wave off · stoppage · knockout · cut your losses · resignation
- surrendersurrender, surrenders, surrendering, I surrender, capitulate
- defeatismdefeatism, giving up, hopelessness, resignation, capitulation
- defeatdefeat, beaten, conquered, vanquished, loss
- futilityfutile, futility, in vain, pointlessness, vain
throwing in towelpersevering
Maintaining effort despite difficulty
pressing on · soldiering on · hanging in there · sticking it out · pushing through
throwing in towelcoming out swinging
Beginning aggressively, ready to fight
standing one's ground · going the distance · rallying · counterattacking · defiance
throw, throwing, throws, threw, thrown, thrower, towel, towels, toweling