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

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

In the seventh inning, Garcia walked and stole second base — then advanced to third when an errant pickoff attempt sailed into center. —Kansas City Star, 16 July 2025

Benintendi beat a pickoff attempt while stealing third, with Sosa taking second. —Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2025

Verb

Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was picked off three times in the loss and threw one touchdown to Keon Hatcher. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025

But instead of being exhilarating, Schindler’s List’s most memorable sequences are harrowing and sobering: Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes) picking off Jewish prisoners with a rifle or the remorseless liquidation of the Jewish ghetto captured in all its cold cruelty. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 20 June 2025

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