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

Ichabod tries to outrun the ghost, but he is hit in the head with a pumpkin and thrown off his horse. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

That led to a go-ahead field goal and set the stage for the late drive that started with promise but ended on a giveaway on a pass Maye threw off his back foot. — CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

In order to solidify his cover in Tehran and throw off the story’s villain, Qasim (Navid Negahban, Kandahar), Tucker hires a young Iranian-American woman, Zara (Bollywood star Elnaaz Norouzi, very good), to pose as his wife. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Burned in his memory are agents yelling at female staffers to throw off their high heels and sprint. — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 9 Sep. 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