pickoff

1 of 2

noun

pick·​off ˈpik-ˌȯf How to pronounce pickoff (audio)
: 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

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
Just things started speeding up and didn’t even see the clock there or even the pickoff at second base. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2024 Recent rule changes have aided Ohtani in his 50/50 quest, regarding steals in particular, including larger bases and limiting the pitcher to three pickoff throws to first base. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2024
Verb
Rohan Nadkarni The Titans were having success on their first drive, but Will Levis was picked off by Emmanuel Ogbah. Andrew Greif, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024 Both men agreed that Hill’s harrowing tale (cowritten with Michael Kane and David Giler) of National Guardsmen being picked off one by one by vengeful Cajuns in a Louisiana swamp was one of the most challenging shoots of their careers. Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pickoff 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pickoff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1911, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pickoff was in 1810

Dictionary Entries Near pickoff

Cite this Entry

“Pickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pickoff. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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