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

All sorts of conditions apply, including the runner at first base can only return to the white half of the double base on a pickoff attempt. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026

The coaches worked on several situations with the veteran infielder, including pickoffs and holding runners on base. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026

Verb

Cooper Flagg was heavily guarded in the left corner by Dyson Daniels with the shot clock winding down and tossed the ball to Naji Marshall, but the pass was picked off by Jalen Johnson. —Mike Curtis, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026

Eventually all those little islands will get picked off by AI systems. —Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 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