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throw off meaning and examples

2025-10-03

Meaning

  • Throw off is a phrasal verb with several meanings:

    1. To remove something quickly or carelessly (e.g., clothes, a burden).
    2. To get rid of something unwanted (e.g., illness, habit, stress).
    3. To confuse or mislead someone.
    4. To produce something (less common usage).

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Phrasal verb
  • Verb type: Transitive (needs an object) or intransitive (depending on usage)

Typical patterns:

  • throw off + noun → She threw off her jacket.
  • throw sb off → The sudden question threw him off.
  • throw off + illness/problem → He managed to throw off the flu.

Common Phrases

  • throw off clothes
  • throw off a cold
  • throw someone off balance
  • throw off stress
  • throw off responsibility

Collocations

  • Verb + object: throw off clothes, throw off suspicion, throw off doubts
  • Adjective + noun: sudden move threw off balance, unexpected event threw off plans

Examples

  1. She quickly threw off her coat when she got inside the warm house.
  2. He’s trying to throw off his bad habits this year.
  3. The sudden question completely threw him off during the interview.
  4. The runner tried to throw off his pursuers by changing direction.
  5. It took him a few days to throw off the flu.
  6. Her comment threw me off balance, and I didn’t know how to respond.
  7. The project delays have really thrown off our schedule.
  8. Meditation helps me throw off the stress of daily life.
  • get rid of
  • shed
  • discard
  • confuse
  • baffle
  • unsettle

Antonym

  • take on
  • accept
  • keep
  • hold on to