throw off

verb

Definition of throw offnext
as in to distract
to draw the attention or mind to something else the sudden noise just threw me off completely, and I missed my shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of throw off Jefferson got the ball to Hale for a touchdown, rolling left and throwing off his back foot to find Jefferson in the back of the end zone. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Both are listed at 6-feet-1, can throw off platform and make plays with their legs. — Rick Stroud, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Animals could offer liberatory models to throw off bourgeois conventions, returning Surrealists to primal ways of being. — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Loading up the chest throws off a woman’s natural movement pattern and can lead to injury. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for throw off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throw off
  1. distract
  2. divert
Verb
  • While the behavior was distracting, Osaka hopes that bringing tennis to a new audience overall will benefit the sport, as long as new fans learn the rules and etiquette of spectating.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
  • While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, gas prices keep soaring.
    — Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of distract
Verb
  • The flight was forced to divert to Baltimore, where the man was removed from the plane and arrested on state charges, according to CBS.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Playwright Zimmerman, meanwhile, says the dispute has diverted attention from the subject the production was created to address.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of divert

Browse Nearby Words

thrown up
throw off
throw (on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Throw off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throw%20off. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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