throw off

British  

verb

1. to free oneself of; discard

2. to produce or utter in a casual manner

   to throw off a witty remark

3. to escape from or elude

   the fox rapidly threw off his pursuers

4. to confuse or disconcert

   the interruption threw the young pianist off

5. informal to deride or ridicule

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throw off Idioms  

1. Cast out, rid oneself of, as in He threw off all unpleasant memories and went to the reunion . [Early 1600s]

2. Give off, emit, as in The garbage was throwing off an awful smell . [First half of 1700s] Also see throw out , def. 1.

3. Also, . Distract, divert, or mislead, as in A mistaken estimate threw off her calculations , or These clues were designed to throw the detective off the scent . The variant comes from hunting, where the quarry may try to put pursuing hounds off the scent. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s. Also see off the track .

4. Perform in a quick, spontaneous, or casual manner, as in He threw off one sketch after another . [Mid-1700s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

throw off

She often does it while deflecting the mocking remarks of rambunctious colleagues Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld, who try to throw off her arguments.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The German was supposed to be the elite coach who would make the difference when it mattered, throw off the perceived cloak of conservatism that held back England under Southgate.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

It’s not as if its overtime will throw off any other shows since “The Late Late Show” and “After Midnight” preceded it in death.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

Keeping satellites cool as AI chips throw off heat is a major hurdle in making orbital data centers cost competitive with infrastructure on the ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

I went outside so that I wouldn't throw off the timing.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt

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