throw off

verb

threw off; thrown off; throwing off; throws off

transitive verb

1

a

: to free oneself from : get rid of

threw off his inhibitions

b

: to cast off often in a hurried or vigorous manner : abandon

threw off all restraint

c

: distract, divert

dogs thrown off by a false scent

2

: emit, give off

stacks throwing off plumes of smoke

3

: to produce in an offhand manner : execute with speed or facility

some little … tune that the composer had thrown off

—James Hilton

4

a

: to cause to depart from an expected or desired course

mistakes threw his calculations off a bit

b

: to cause to make a mistake : mislead

5

: earn, generate

an investment that throws off a sizable income

intransitive verb

1

: to begin hunting

2

: to make derogatory comments

Synonyms

• abstract
• call off
• detract
• distract
• divert

Examples of throw off in a Sentence

the sudden noise just threw me off completely, and I missed my shot

Recent Examples on the Web

Living room layout mistakes can throw off the entire experience of a space. —Heather Bien, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2025

That last bucket includes YouTube Primetime Channels (including NFL Sunday Ticket), channel memberships, VOD, and creator monetization tools throwing off a share of proceeds to YouTube. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2025

Or the equilibrium could be thrown off by a democratic resurgence, in the model of Brazil or Poland. —Jennifer Victor, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2025

But Keith has a way of saying these things so that they’re just thrown off. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1b

Rhymes for throw off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

throw off

verb

: to send out : emit

a sparkler throws off sparks