picked off; picking off; picks off
1
: to shoot or bring down especially one by one
2
: to put out (a base runner who is off base) with a quick throw (as from the pitcher or catcher)
3
: intercept
picked off a pass
Examples of pickoff in a Sentence
Noun
He made a pickoff throw to third base.
Verb
picked off more passes than any other player in the division
Recent Examples on the Web
Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2025
He’s been putting an emphasis on pickoffs at first base and reducing his times to the plate to control the running game.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025
Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 18 Apr. 2025
Morrison picked off six passes in his freshman season at Notre Dame, and his production in college was elite.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickoff
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Halvorsen escaped being a walk-off loser with a nice pickoff move that caught Garcia between second and third.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2025
He’s been putting an emphasis on pickoffs at first base and reducing his times to the plate to control the running game.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
The inning ended when Kiehl took a huge lead toward home plate and was picked off trying to get back to third base.
—Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 18 Apr. 2025
Morrison picked off six passes in his freshman season at Notre Dame, and his production in college was elite.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickoff
Cite this Entry
“Pickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pickoff. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share