picked off; picking off; picks off
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
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
Keith O'Brien, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
With the game slowly reverting to more running since the use of larger bases and limiting the number of pickoff throws, a catcher controlling opponents on the base paths becomes even more important.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
But in the waning seconds, a pass intended for a wide-open McDavid, was picked off by Miller, preventing what would have been an empty net goal.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickoff
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Noun
Over the past few years, in an effort to shorten games and improve the pace of play, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has ushered in a rule-change revolution that has included pitch clocks, larger bases, limits on pickoff moves, and the banishment of a defensive formation called the shift.
—Keith O'Brien, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2025
With the game slowly reverting to more running since the use of larger bases and limiting the number of pickoff throws, a catcher controlling opponents on the base paths becomes even more important.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
Marcus Johansson picked off a pass from Kylington along the right wall and immediately snapped a pass to a wide-open Zuccarello in front of the Colorado net.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2025
But in the waning seconds, a pass intended for a wide-open McDavid, was picked off by Miller, preventing what would have been an empty net goal.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pickoff
Cite this Entry
“Pickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pickoff. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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