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
Without it, in theory, the player might feel thrown off or less secure in their serve, which, in turn, could affect the trajectory of the point (and potentially the game, and then the set, and then the match, because in tennis, it all snowballs.
—
Caroline Tien, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025
Perhaps there’s something salutary about being thrown off-balance, the novel suggests.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Videos taken on board the Carnival Panorama earlier this week show dishes sliding off tables in the dining room, water emerging out of an elevator, merchandise thrown off their displays and children screaming.
—Colson Thayer, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The motorcyclist was thrown off his bike, according to police.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
And don’t be thrown off when a few seconds later, there is an isolated laugh when that lone guy in the back of the room suddenly got the joke.
—Jay Sullivan, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The driver and passenger on the bike were both thrown off.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2025
The sheriff's office said an initial investigation revealed Mexicano struck the SUV and was thrown off the motorcycle about 50 yards onto the freeway.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2025
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t get thrown off.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Caroline Tien, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025
Perhaps there’s something salutary about being thrown off-balance, the novel suggests.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Videos taken on board the Carnival Panorama earlier this week show dishes sliding off tables in the dining room, water emerging out of an elevator, merchandise thrown off their displays and children screaming.
—Colson Thayer, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The motorcyclist was thrown off his bike, according to police.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
And don’t be thrown off when a few seconds later, there is an isolated laugh when that lone guy in the back of the room suddenly got the joke.
—Jay Sullivan, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The driver and passenger on the bike were both thrown off.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2025
The sheriff's office said an initial investigation revealed Mexicano struck the SUV and was thrown off the motorcycle about 50 yards onto the freeway.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2025
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t get thrown off.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrown off
Verb
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The walk to the penalty spot didn’t feel long for Bronze, partly because she was distracted by the strapping.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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First published in 1985, the book warned that the threat to American democracy came not from state repression, but from a culture distracted by amusement.—
Time,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the second case, the IMF is carried outwards by the solar wind and bumps into the magnetic field of the earth as the solar wind is diverted around it.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Arrivals from cities including Gran Canaria, Tokyo, and Paris were diverted to alternate airports across Poland and Europe.—
Amanda Castro
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thrown off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrown%20off. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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