as in distracting
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 throwing off
Less light exposure during the winter months shifts your biological clock, throwing off your hormones, mood, and sleep.
—
Marisa McMillan, Outside, 20 Dec. 2025
The next step for Horton, who’s recovering from a fractured right rib, will be throwing off a mound on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
What's throwing off the seasons?
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Zeferjahn has been throwing off a mound for the past week.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 21 Sep. 2025
But the Broncos’ pre-snap motion looked messy at times, and Nix spent much of his time Sunday throwing off-platform.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
REITs aren’t the only healthcare plays throwing off fat dividends right now, though.
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Manager Craig Counsell anticipates Taillon throwing off a mound Wednesday at Oracle Park so the Cubs can gauge how the veteran starter feels and then make a decision about his next start.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Marisa McMillan, Outside, 20 Dec. 2025
The next step for Horton, who’s recovering from a fractured right rib, will be throwing off a mound on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
What's throwing off the seasons?
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2025
Zeferjahn has been throwing off a mound for the past week.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 21 Sep. 2025
But the Broncos’ pre-snap motion looked messy at times, and Nix spent much of his time Sunday throwing off-platform.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 8 Sep. 2025
REITs aren’t the only healthcare plays throwing off fat dividends right now, though.
—Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Manager Craig Counsell anticipates Taillon throwing off a mound Wednesday at Oracle Park so the Cubs can gauge how the veteran starter feels and then make a decision about his next start.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwing off
Verb
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Josh asks for silence, then later explains — in an exasperated tone — that the ruckus was distracting him.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Jan. 2026
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Griffin has a bright future, but dreams of college or the WNBA are not distracting her from the here and now.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert and was diverting traffic off on Roxford Street.—
Chelsea Hylton,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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What keeps things diverting, and sometimes even interesting, is the genuine but necessarily tentative chemistry between its stars, one staging an all-out charm offensive and the other projecting a flintier allure.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Throwing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwing%20off. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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