Dictionary

throw under the bus en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

Attested from the early 1980s, possibly of UK origin.

Meanings

1. (of a person or group, transitive) To betray or blame (something or someone); to deliberately put (something or someone) in an unfavorable situation and then leave to their fate; to make (something or someone) into a scapegoat or otherwise abandon for personal gain.
   • If you want to know the deep values that drive someone, sometimes you have to look at who they admire, who they throw under the bus and who they refuse to unreservedly condemn. 2023 October 27, Alexander Hurst, “Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a disaster for the French left – his response to the attack on Israel proves it”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 04 Nov 2023:
   • "I got thrown under the bus by BAE," she says. "They did not want to take responsibility, so they pointed at us." 2008 October 2, Brian Grow et al., “Dangerous Fakes”, in Business Week, archived from the original on 24 Mar 2009, retrieved 24 Mar 2009:
   • [JD] Vance recently defended MTG [Marjorie Taylor Greene] for speaking at a white-nationalist conference, saying, “She said nothing wrong, and I’m absolutely not going to throw her under the bus, or anybody else who’s a friend of mine.” 2022 April 21, Molly Jong-Fast, quoting JD Vance, “Trump’s Endorsements Might Be the GOP’s Kryptonite”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 16 Nov 2025:
   • "A person who does things for me and befriended me and helped me out when I needed help, I'm certainly not going to throw them under the bus," she said. 1993 January 27, Steven Cronin, “Sitter: Girl ‘Asked For It,’ Woman Told Her”, in Press of Atlantic City:
   • Captain Tagon: So, all you did was serve us fast, before [chef] Ch'votlq could deploy his whisk of ruin? Liz: Please don't make me throw my new boss under the bus. 2013 May 24, Schlock Mercenary:
2. (of a thing, qualifier:idea, transitive, usually) To discard or disown.
   • A recent magazine article discussed the need to throw under the bus worn-out cultural catchphrases, with the first being “throw under the bus.” 2008 July 20, Ken Newton, “Local tiff is the new old thing”, in St. Joseph News-Press, US, archived from the original on 04 Dec 2008, retrieved 31 Aug 2021:

Forms

Relateds

fair-weather friend · hang out to dry

Synonyms

throw to the wolves (betray or blame, use as a scapegoat) · sacrifice (betray or blame, use as a scapegoat) · reject (discard or disown) · sell down the river (betray or blame, use as a scapegoat)

Translations (13)

es echarle el perro muerto (betray) · fr pousser sous le bus (betray) · es echar la pelota (betray) · es pasar la pelota (betray) · nb kaste under bussen (betray) · es poner a alguien a los pies de los caballos (betray) · da kaste under bussen (betray) · fi tehdä syntipukki (betray) · fi uhrata (betray) · es achacar (betray) · es tirar dedo (betray) · pt jogar embaixo do ônibus (betray) · de in die Pfanne hauen (betray)