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

Historically, these groves would throw off 500 boxes per acre.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

Canada will grab and jostle the U.S., get physical and hope to throw off their mojo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

Crypto tokens don’t throw off interest or dividends.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2025

As the rising costs of everyday expenses stretches household budgets “even if you’re on top of your finances,” sudden price increases can throw off an entire budget, said Devin Miller, chief executive of SecureSave.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 17, 2025

I throw off my covers and race across the room to my dresser.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass