as in intercepting
to stop, seize, or interrupt while in progress or on course
picked off more passes than any other player in the division
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of picking off
The Dead Don't Die In Jim Jarmusch's absurdist apocalypse comedy, flesh-craving zombies raid the once-tranquil town of Centerville, picking off its residents one by one.
—
James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Bailey wound up deflecting 21 throws and picking off 10 others.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The Soviets have put down a rebellion against the puppet government that ruled in Budapest and are now in the process of picking off the politicians, students, and general who had led it.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Indeed, what Ransom did after picking off Mason Rudolph and returning the ball 16 yards didn’t look much like that at all.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
The Jayhawks also caused two turnovers by picking off Fresno State quarterback EJ Warner once in each half.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
James Mercadante, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
Bailey wound up deflecting 21 throws and picking off 10 others.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
The Soviets have put down a rebellion against the puppet government that ruled in Budapest and are now in the process of picking off the politicians, students, and general who had led it.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2025
Indeed, what Ransom did after picking off Mason Rudolph and returning the ball 16 yards didn’t look much like that at all.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
The Jayhawks also caused two turnovers by picking off Fresno State quarterback EJ Warner once in each half.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for picking off
Verb
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The reserves on defense held their own as well, with true freshman Bryce Fitzgerald intercepting a fourth-down pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter to highlight their efforts.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Cole Margets led Bonita Vista (0-3), intercepting a pass and returning it 85 yards.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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More than a month after his death, Ozzy Osbourne’s music has largely slipped away from the Billboard charts following the headline-grabbing news that one of rock’s founding fathers had passed away.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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SpaceX was also famously involved in funding and operating the headline-grabbing Polaris Dawn crewed commercial mission in September 2024.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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These will be of little use to many casual players, though, who may well give up on Silksong after banging their head against a progress-blocking boss for an hour or two.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
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There are different types of biologic medicines, but typically, these powerful drugs work for people with a condition like mine by blocking specific inflammatory pathways in your immune system to help control inflammation and pain.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Picking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/picking%20off. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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