pickoff

1 of 2

noun

pick·​off ˈpik-ˌȯf 

: a baseball play in which a base runner is picked off

pick off

2 of 2

verb

picked off; picking off; picks off

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

Verb

• block
• intercept
• interdict

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

Noun

Two batters later, reliever Luke Weaver threw a pickoff attempt into center field. —Chris Kirschner, The Athletic, 6 July 2024

Just things started speeding up and didn’t even see the clock there or even the pickoff at second base. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2024

Verb

Advertisement Torres picked off Portola quarterback Nash Luper twice in the second half, the second of which led to a field-goal attempt as the clock expired. —Benjamin Royer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

Then try Bob Clark’s classic horror film, in which a mysterious killer starts picking off members of a sorority house one by one during the lead-up to Christmas. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1911, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pick off

verb

1

: to shoot or bring down one by one or with a single shot

2

: to put out (a base runner who is off base) with a quick throw