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
McKee did not appear as sharp during under-center individual drills, often throwing off-target balls — apparently because of timing.
—
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Now scientists have discovered the behemoth is throwing off a hot breeze.
—Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 4 June 2026
Miller is five weeks into a throwing program and expects to start throwing off a mound for the first time this week.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
At times, his lower half was opening too quickly, throwing off the way his legs worked with his upper half.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
Your schedule, routines or work environment could feel especially chaotic today, with interruptions throwing off your modus operandi and usual sense of control.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Otherwise, there was little evidence of factors that might be throwing off the results.
—ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026
The Hudson Yards area is throwing off cash.
—Peter Peyser, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Chip stocks, however, stumbled; bitcoin is hovering at its weakest since the war began, private credit is throwing off sparks again — and a flesh-eating parasite has turned up in Texas.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Now scientists have discovered the behemoth is throwing off a hot breeze.
—Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 4 June 2026
Miller is five weeks into a throwing program and expects to start throwing off a mound for the first time this week.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
At times, his lower half was opening too quickly, throwing off the way his legs worked with his upper half.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
Your schedule, routines or work environment could feel especially chaotic today, with interruptions throwing off your modus operandi and usual sense of control.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
Otherwise, there was little evidence of factors that might be throwing off the results.
—ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2026
The Hudson Yards area is throwing off cash.
—Peter Peyser, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throwing off
Verb
-
The formal obligation to bow or curtsy will force targets to bend a knee and break eye contact—a perfect opening for the President to place something distracting like a Twix bar on their heads.—
Dahlia Gallin Ramirez,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
-
Reid plays this so well, but the direction is a little over the top, with drug-trip visuals that are too distracting to follow the dense-as-ever disjointed narration.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Creating parallel capabilities overseas risks duplicating existing infrastructure while diverting attention and resources from the interventions most likely to bring the outbreak under control.—
Krutika Kuppalli,
STAT,
5 June 2026
-
Concurrently, the Met botch their way through their investigation, diverting all their attention to an entirely innocent man while ignoring the serial offender under their nose.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Throwing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throwing%20off. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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