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

Loading up the chest throws off a woman’s natural movement pattern and can lead to injury. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 20 Aug. 2026

Lecoutre and his team are also considering shifting to more heat-resilient plants in the future, while also planning for earlier blooms as plants are thrown off their usual schedule, in response to the intense heat. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

The third-year guard gave up a drive-halting sack (with Young in at QB) after getting thrown off his spot by Deone Walker. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026

The motorcycle operator was thrown off the bike and seriously injured. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 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