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
The impact caused the 19-year-old to be thrown off the motorcycle, police said.
—
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Hutson was thrown off the first two games in Washington, but then adjusted and left a positive impact on the series for the Canadiens.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Hutson was thrown off the first two games in Washington, but then adjusted and left a positive impact on the series for the Canadiens.
—Arpon Basu, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrown off
Verb
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Buxton scored the first run on a wild pitch and scored another later when Austin Martin was picked off and got caught in a rundown, breaking from third while Detroit defenders were distracted.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
9 Apr. 2026
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The implication is that she got distracted and failed to notice the most important things.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While the small moonlet asteroid Dimorphos posed no threat to Earth, the mission served as a successful demonstration that dangerous space rocks could be diverted from a collision course with Earth.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
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Construction equipment was mobilized to the project area March 23, and traffic was diverted away from the Twenty Mile Road's northbound lanes and onto the southbound lanes March 25.—
Olivia Young,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Thrown off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrown%20off. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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