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

• abstract
• call off
• detract
• 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

She was ultimately fired from the show after cutting her hair halfway through filming the season finale without telling anyone, throwing off the episode’s continuity. —Nick Romano, EW.com, 14 July 2024

Ideally, Denver wouldn’t need to lean on him heavily in a playoff setting, whereas Kawhi Leonard’s injury threw off the Clippers’ entire identity this go-around. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 2 July 2024

The first was the deep recession of 2007-9, which threw off the long-term projections. —Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 31 May 2024

Such interactions can cause rapid, unpredictable temperature swings that throw off the forecast’s accuracy. —Harry Stevens, Washington Post, 2 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

Kids Definition

throw off

verb

: to send out : emit

a sparkler throws off sparks