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

• 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

As the weak signals from the global positioning satellites pass through this suddenly turbulent region, they get thrown off course. —Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 22 June 2025

Many operate on asset-light, franchise-heavy models that throw off steady income with minimal capital intensity. —Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

Despite the secular downturn, the networks remain lucrative assets, throwing off considerable cash flow and profit. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 June 2025

On top of that, he’s added a layer of personal encryption, swapping out select words to throw off would-be attackers. —Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 7 June 2025

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