throw off

verb

threw off; thrown off; throwing off; throws off

transitive verb

1

a

: to free oneself from : get rid of

threw off his inhibitions

b

: to cast off often in a hurried or vigorous manner : abandon

threw off all restraint

c

: distract, divert

dogs thrown off by a false scent

2

: emit, give off

stacks throwing off plumes of smoke

3

: to produce in an offhand manner : execute with speed or facility

… some little … tune that the composer had thrown off …

—James Hilton

4

a

: to cause to depart from an expected or desired course

mistakes threw his calculations off a bit

b

: to cause to make a mistake : mislead

5

: earn, generate

an investment that throws off a sizable income

intransitive verb

1

: to begin hunting

2

: to make derogatory comments

Synonyms of throw off

• distract
• divert

Examples of throw off in a Sentence

the sudden noise just threw me off completely, and I missed my shot

Recent Examples on the Web

Morgan started throwing off the mound a bit after transferring to Hope International University and continued to dabble in pitching in the West Coast summer league in Portland, Ore. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026

Authorities in the San Francisco Bay Area posted video of a rescue of a family from a burning apartment building over the weekend, in which a toddler and dog were thrown off a balcony to waiting police officers below. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026

The rider, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, was thrown off in the collision and critically injured. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Feb. 2026

Officials in Ohio detailed in court documents how Caleb Flynn allegedly staged the crime scene in order to throw off detectives as he's accused of killing his wife, Ashely Flynn. —Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Rhymes for throw off

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

Kids Definition

throw off

verb

: to send out : emit

a sparkler throws off sparks