Meaning
To betray or sacrifice someone, often an ally or colleague, in order to protect oneself or gain an advantage.
It’s most commonly used in political, corporate, or team settings to describe shifting blame onto someone else.
Origin
The exact origin of this now widely used idiom is murky, and the frequently repeated claim that it comes from mid-20th-century British political slang is not well substantiated by documentary evidence. Most language researchers instead trace its rise to American English, where it appears sporadically from the 1980s onward before becoming especially common in political and media commentary from the 1990s and 2000s; its rapid spread likely owes something to its vivid, easily visualized image of literal, sudden betrayal — leaving a person defenseless in the path of a moving vehicle — which needs no further explanation to be instantly understood.
Examples
He threw his business partner under the bus to save his own reputation.
The manager threw the whole team under the bus during the meeting.
She refused to throw her coworker under the bus, even under pressure.
A: Who told the boss about the mistake? B: He threw me under the bus.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Throw under the bus' mean?
To betray or sacrifice someone, often an ally or colleague, in order to protect oneself or gain an advantage.
It’s most commonly used in political, corporate, or team settings to describe shifting blame onto someone else.