as in distracted
to draw the attention or mind to something else
the sudden noise just threw me off completely, and I missed my shot
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Recent Examples of threw off
Mauricio threw off his helmet and ran into center field before being caught by teammates, who swarmed him and doused him with water on a windy day at Citi Field.
—
CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The lefty first threw off flat ground and then a bit off a mound.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Wearing her running blade during farmer carries threw off her balance.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
Two hours before Thursday night’s Cactus League game, Snell threw off the mound in front of a group of reporters and fans at Camelback Ranch.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
That threw off the Dolphins offense to the point, even now, offensive coordinator Dave Shula remembers not adjusting quickly enough.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
In the five decades since Portugal threw off its fascist dictatorship, a presidential election has only once before — in 1986 — required a runoff, highlighting how fragmented the political landscape has become with the rise of the far-right and voter disenchantment with mainstream parties.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
That quick interior pressure threw off the timing of an offense that requires it.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
That did not happen in my house, where the workdays were long, everyone’s calendars were packed and a bad cold threw off our schedule for a week.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The lefty first threw off flat ground and then a bit off a mound.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
Wearing her running blade during farmer carries threw off her balance.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026
Two hours before Thursday night’s Cactus League game, Snell threw off the mound in front of a group of reporters and fans at Camelback Ranch.
—Jack Vita, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
That threw off the Dolphins offense to the point, even now, offensive coordinator Dave Shula remembers not adjusting quickly enough.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2026
In the five decades since Portugal threw off its fascist dictatorship, a presidential election has only once before — in 1986 — required a runoff, highlighting how fragmented the political landscape has become with the rise of the far-right and voter disenchantment with mainstream parties.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
That quick interior pressure threw off the timing of an offense that requires it.
—Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
That did not happen in my house, where the workdays were long, everyone’s calendars were packed and a bad cold threw off our schedule for a week.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for threw off
Verb
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Buxton scored the first run on a wild pitch and scored another later when Austin Martin was picked off and got caught in a rundown, breaking from third while Detroit defenders were distracted.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
9 Apr. 2026
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The implication is that she got distracted and failed to notice the most important things.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While the small moonlet asteroid Dimorphos posed no threat to Earth, the mission served as a successful demonstration that dangerous space rocks could be diverted from a collision course with Earth.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
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Construction equipment was mobilized to the project area March 23, and traffic was diverted away from the Twenty Mile Road's northbound lanes and onto the southbound lanes March 25.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Threw off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/threw%20off. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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