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

Moore had a bloop RBI double in the bottom of the fifth and scored on an errant pickoff throw to second by Michael Fulmer. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Boyd’s pickoff move has been a weapon for the lefty the last two years. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

Verb

Minutes after Williams’ final pass was picked off, creating the opportunity for the Rams’ game-winning field goal, tight end Cole Kmet had already refocused his mind. — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Spensar Sieger passed for 257 yards with a touchdown for MidAmerica Nazarene, but he was picked off three times. — Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 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