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 thrown off
But state lawmakers estimate a quarter to half of current enrollees — as many as 40,000 people — would be thrown off the Medicaid expansion under the requirements in House Bill 913 and forced to find coverage another way, or go without.
—
Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Their dynamic is thrown off when Tung's character joins the group, per an official synopsis.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
The night before, Justin, the martial artist, had thrown off his pack during the final ruck.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The most viral videos feature fruits in absurd situations, ranging from scandalous affairs with other fruits to baby fruits thrown off a ship (yes, really).
—Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The superstar appears alongside Robert Pattinson in the A24 film, which follows an engaged couple whose wedding week is thrown off the rails after one of them reveals a big secret.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
The final stage was supposed to be maximum effort, which meant beginning at an all-out sprint and gradually slowing the treadmill down just enough to avoid being thrown off the back.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 15 Mar. 2026
With left-hander Yuki Matsui (adductor) having not thrown off a mound since Feb 19 and Adam working back from his September surgery, three relievers projected to be in the bullpen are now uncertain to be ready by opening day.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
He was thrown off course in stage 2 by Daniel Suarez.
—Kevin Lyttle, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Their dynamic is thrown off when Tung's character joins the group, per an official synopsis.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
The night before, Justin, the martial artist, had thrown off his pack during the final ruck.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The most viral videos feature fruits in absurd situations, ranging from scandalous affairs with other fruits to baby fruits thrown off a ship (yes, really).
—Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
The superstar appears alongside Robert Pattinson in the A24 film, which follows an engaged couple whose wedding week is thrown off the rails after one of them reveals a big secret.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
The final stage was supposed to be maximum effort, which meant beginning at an all-out sprint and gradually slowing the treadmill down just enough to avoid being thrown off the back.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 15 Mar. 2026
With left-hander Yuki Matsui (adductor) having not thrown off a mound since Feb 19 and Adam working back from his September surgery, three relievers projected to be in the bullpen are now uncertain to be ready by opening day.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
He was thrown off course in stage 2 by Daniel Suarez.
—Kevin Lyttle, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrown off
Verb
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Woods was far more comfortable with telling officers he was distracted versus possibly impaired.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Black, naturally, also sings a verse about forgetting the wise words of a man in the Tibetan mountains because he was distracted by a terse text from his wife.—
Rima Parikh,
Vulture,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So, when funds meant to ease those pressures are diverted elsewhere, the impact is immediate.—
Jason Gallion,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
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Data centers have sparked backlash from communities across the state that are worried about higher utility bills, strained power grids and water being diverted away from families to cool servers at massive data centers.—
Brendan Steinhauser,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thrown off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrown%20off. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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