throw off

verb

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threw off; thrown off; throwing off; throws off

Definition of throw off

transitive verb

1a : 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

4a : 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

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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 One bad start, one false step can throw off the entire race. — oregonlive, 10 June 2021 Turner networks might actually bolster the traditional pay TV business, which continues to throw off cash even as millions of subscribers cut the cord. — Dawn Chmielewski, Forbes, 19 May 2021 Changes to how people voted, including a surge of early and absentee votes, didn't seem to throw off those likely voter models, either. — Ariel Edwards-levy, CNN, 13 May 2021 Daddy’s Home, her sixth and latest album, tries to throw off that pattern. — Brady Gerber, Vulture, 11 May 2021 Some scientists in Europe have wondered whether AstraZeneca’s inclusion of a partial tPA sequence could throw off normal clotting. — Roxanne Khamsi, The Atlantic, 16 Apr. 2021 Even Maryland’s shift to zone didn’t throw off Texas. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 29 Mar. 2021 Aerojet would throw off a great deal of cash for a limited time if R&D were minimized and existing programs were mined to enhance cashflow. — Loren Thompson, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2021 Any variables, like heat or noise, could throw off the system. — Emily Bamforth, cleveland, 4 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'throw off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.