Idiom

Throw the towel in

What does "Throw the towel in" mean?

Give up, especially to avoid further punishment when facing certain defeat.

USA, 1910s. The allusion is to a boxing match where throwing the towel in indicates a concession

Meaning Give up, especially to avoid further punishment when facing certain defeat.

Example

AltaVista tried to hang on and compete with Google, but eventually they just couldn't compete and were forced to throw the towel in.

Pronunciation