as in intercepting
to stop, seize, or interrupt while in progress or on course
picked off more passes than any other player in the division
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of picking off
Bailey wound up deflecting 21 throws and picking off 10 others.
—
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The Soviets have put down a rebellion against the puppet government that ruled in Budapest and are now in the process of picking off the politicians, students, and general who had led it.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Indeed, what Ransom did after picking off Mason Rudolph and returning the ball 16 yards didn’t look much like that at all.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
The Jayhawks also caused two turnovers by picking off Fresno State quarterback EJ Warner once in each half.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The Soviets have put down a rebellion against the puppet government that ruled in Budapest and are now in the process of picking off the politicians, students, and general who had led it.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Indeed, what Ransom did after picking off Mason Rudolph and returning the ball 16 yards didn’t look much like that at all.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
The Jayhawks also caused two turnovers by picking off Fresno State quarterback EJ Warner once in each half.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picking off
Verb
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Jones showed such promise for New England early in his career, intercepting two passes as a rookie fourth-round pick out of Arizona State in 2022.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
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Before the mission, Thunberg had said on Saturday that Israel had been continuously violating international law by either attacking, unlawfully intercepting the boats in international waters, and continuously preventing the humanitarian aid from entering.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More than a month after his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s music has largely slipped away from the Billboard charts following the headline-grabbing news that one of rock’s founding fathers had passed away.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the world of vision wear, blue-light blocking lenses are becoming popular.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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In that role, Renner took an active part in blocking Santa Ono from becoming the University of Florida’s president, with Renner grilling Ono on his views on diversity and inclusion initiatives.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Picking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picking%20off. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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