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Original · left

Throw (physical)

Propelling an object through the air by rapid forward movement of the arm and hand.

First in use: ancient / pre-modern
Duplicate · right

Throw (programming)

Explicitly raising an exception or error flag to transfer programmatic execution flow directly to a designated error-handling block.

First in use: the 1960s

Throw / Throw (physical) / Throw (programming)

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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Pitching vs. raising an error.

Which meaning of Throw is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Throw (physical) came first (ancient / pre-modern). Throw (programming) arrived in the 1960s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Throw (physical)Throw (programming)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

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The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · ancient / pre-modern

Throw (physical)

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Duplicate · the 1960s

Throw (programming)

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More duplicated terms

Programming & software