pickoff

1 of 2

noun

pick·​off ˈpik-ˌȯf 

: a baseball play in which a base runner is picked off

pick off

2 of 2

verb

picked off; picking off; picks off

transitive verb

1

: to shoot or bring down especially one by one

2

: to put out (a base runner who is off base) with a quick throw (as from the pitcher or catcher)

3

: intercept

picked off a pass

Synonyms of pickoff

Verb

• intercept
• grab
• block

Examples of pickoff in a Sentence

Noun

He made a pickoff throw to third base.

Verb

picked off more passes than any other player in the division

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Schlittler wasn’t blameless in that, committing a throwing error on a pickoff play in the first inning. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026

Schlittler had an errant pickoff attempt in the same inning. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Verb

With runners on the corners, Cade Gibson replaced Phillips and escaped unscathed when Joe Mack picked off Nathan Church at third base and Wetherholt struck out. — Miami Herald, 28 June 2026

Miami also seemed to make some picks off measurables. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1911, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pickoff

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

pick off

verb

1

: to shoot or bring down one by one or with a single shot

2

: to put out (a base runner who is off base) with a quick throw