to give up; to quit
Examples:
- I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to throw in the towel.
- After years of frustration with her boss, Jill threw in the towel, quit the job and moved to Florida.
- After six years of trying to convince the company to go renewable, he's thrown in the towel.
- The entrepreneur refused to throw in the towel despite three years of losses.
Origin: This idiom comes from the sport of boxing. When a boxer gives up the match, they throw their towel into the middle of the boxing ring.
Synonyms: give up, quit, accept defeat, call it a day