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
Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
The elimination of extreme infield shifts, larger bases, only three pickoff throws, a limit on how relief pitchers can be used, and the pitch clock were supposed to positively impact hitting.
—Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 16 May 2026
Yet even that favored Vegas as a zone entry gone awry led to an errant rim-around pass that was picked off by none other than Marner.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pickoff
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Noun
The Friars scored again with two outs in the sixth when Liu reached base on an error and then made it to second base on an errant pickoff throw.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
The elimination of extreme infield shifts, larger bases, only three pickoff throws, a limit on how relief pitchers can be used, and the pitch clock were supposed to positively impact hitting.
—Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Verb
In the first, Jarren Duran drew a walk and was picked off.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 16 May 2026
Yet even that favored Vegas as a zone entry gone awry led to an errant rim-around pass that was picked off by none other than Marner.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pickoff
Cite this Entry
“Pickoff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pickoff. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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