throw off
verb
threw off;
thrown off;
throwing off;
throws off
Definition of throw off
1a
: to free oneself from : get rid of
threw off his inhibitions
b
: to cast off often in a hurried or vigorous manner : abandon
threw off all restraint
3
: to produce in an offhand manner : execute with speed or facility
some little … tune that the composer had thrown off— James Hilton
4a
: to cause to depart from an expected or desired course
mistakes threw his calculations off a bit
b
: to cause to make a mistake : mislead
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Synonyms for throw off
Synonyms
abstract, call off, detract, distract, divert
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Examples of throw off in a Sentence
the sudden noise just threw me off completely, and I missed my shot
Recent Examples on the Web
Migration timing for whales could be be thrown off, McCabe says. — Bill Weir, CNN, "Alaska just had the most ridiculous summer. That's a red flag for the planet.," 9 Sep. 2019 The second touchdown came on a 64-yard pass play that Cowan finished by wickedly throwing off a Williams defender before bouncing into the end zone. — Los Angeles Times, "Column: Paradise football brings smiles and tears in first game since Camp fire," 25 Aug. 2019 Bogdanović was the scorer who allowed Indiana to make do without Victor Oladipo for the better part of three months last season: a flexible shooter who can be moved around the floor in all sorts of ways without throwing off his rhythm. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "The Jazz Don't Need to Be a Superteam," 26 July 2019 This human-proofing, far from throwing off the rhythms of the road, has increased safety, by most evidence, which is no surprise. — Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, "Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake?," 22 July 2019 After being thrown off the bed, the woman threw a nightstand at the man, who caught it and threw it back at her. — cleveland.com, "Woman’s shouting disturbs the peace at PEACE Park: Cleveland Heights Police Blotter," 12 July 2019 Matt Harvey, who has missed the past month because of an upper-back strain, spent the last two weeks in Arizona throwing off a mound and working on the mechanical flaws that contributed to his 2-4 record and 7.50 ERA in 10 starts. — Mike Digiovanna, latimes.com, "Injured shortstop Andrelton Simmons to return to Angels this week," 25 June 2019 Alex Wood, sidelined all season with lower back pain, threw off a mound for the first time since the end of April on Wednesday. — Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds pitcher Luis Castillo takes advantage of extra days between starts," 5 June 2019 Edwards is tentatively scheduled to throw off a mound again with the possibility of starting a minor-league rehabilitation assignment soon. — Mark Gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Brandon Morrow could rejoin Cubs bullpen by the end of the week," 26 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'throw off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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