Cast I Casting Eyes Verb Make Somebody/Something Light

• she cast a welcoming smile in his direction.
• i cast an angry look at him.
• he groaned, casting his eyes to the ceiling.
• she cast me a disapproving glance.

cast

Verb Forms

1. to look, smile, etc. in a particular direction
• She cast a welcoming smile in his direction.
• I cast an angry look at him.
• He groaned, casting his eyes to the ceiling.
• She cast me a disapproving glance.
2. to make light, a shadow, etc. appear in a particular place
• Someone was standing in the dark shadow cast by the light.
• The moon had cast a silvery light on the huts.
• The setting sun cast an orange glow over the mountains.
3. to say, do or suggest something that makes people doubt something or think that somebody is less honest, good, etc.
• This latest evidence casts serious doubt on his version of events.
• ‘You know that I'm not one to cast aspersions,’ he said.
• The sad news cast a shadow over the proceedings (= made people feel unhappy).
• The entire economic future of the islands was cast into doubt.

Extra Examples

• Her aim was clearly to to cast suspicion upon their motives.
• The allegations are casting a cloud over his re-election campaign.
• The incident had cast a pall over their preparations for the World Cup.
4. to vote for somebody/something
• He refused to cast a vote for either candidate.
• How many of the registered voters will actually cast their ballots?
5. to choose actors to play the different parts in a film, play, etc.; to choose an actor to play a particular role
• The play is being cast in both the US and Britain.
• He has cast her as an ambitious lawyer in his latest movie.
6. to describe or present somebody/yourself in a particular way
• He cast himself as the innocent victim of a hate campaign.
• The press were quick to cast her in the role of the ‘other woman’.
7. to throw one end of a fishing line into a river, etc.
8. to throw somebody/something somewhere, especially using force
• The priceless treasures had been cast into the Nile.
• They cast anchor at nightfall.
9. when a snake casts its skin, the skin comes off as part of a natural process
10. if a horse casts a shoe, the shoe comes off by accident
11. to shape hot liquid metal, etc. by pouring it into a hollow container (called a mould)
• a statue cast in bronze
• an artist cast in the mould of (= very similar to) Miró
12. to look at or examine something quickly
• Could you just run your eyes over this report?
• I cast my eyes around the room but couldn't see any familiar faces.
13. to make a problem, etc. easier to understand
• Recent research has cast new light on the causes of the disease.
14. to make a problem, etc. easier to understand
• Recent research has thrown new light on the causes of the disease.
15. to make yourself think about something that happened in the past
• I want you to cast your minds back to the first time you met.
16. to consider a lot of different people, activities, possibilities, etc. when you are looking for something
• It’s worth casting your net wide when applying for your first job.
17. to use words that are thought to be magic and have the power to change or influence somebody/something
18. used to say that an event has happened or a decision has been made that cannot be changed
19. to use a method of choosing somebody/something that involves putting a number folded pieces of paper in a bag, one of them with a mark on it. People then take it in turns to take a piece of paper from the bag and the one who takes the paper with the mark on it is chosen.
• They drew lots for the right to go first.
20. to stop caring about how dangerous something might be; to start taking risks
• He threw caution to the wind and dived into the water after the child.

Word Origin

• verb senses 1 to 7 and verb senses 10 to 11 Middle English: from Old Norse kasta ‘to cast or throw’. verb senses 8 to 9 mid 17th cent.: a special use of the original meaning of cast,in sense (11) of the verb.