In programming, a "throw" is a way to signal that an error or unexpected situation has occurred. When a program encounters a problem, it can "throw" an exception, which is a special object that contains information about the error. This allows the program to stop its normal flow and jump to a part of the code that can handle the issue, ensuring that the program can recover gracefully. For example, in the Java programming language, you might use a "throw" statement to indicate that a user has entered invalid data. By throwing an exception, you can provide feedback to the user and guide them to correct their input, improving the overall user experience.