pickoff

1 of 2

noun

pick·​off ˈpik-ˌȯf 

: a baseball play in which a base runner is picked off

pick off

2 of 2

verb

picked off; picking off; picks off

transitive verb

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

Synonyms

Verb

• block
• intercept
• interdict

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

Noun

Ohtani suffered a right hamstring bruise when he was hit by a pickoff throw from Reds left-hander Brent Suter on May 16. —Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024

Locked in a tie game at UC San Diego’s Triton Ballpark, Imperial High School made two critical mistakes — an error on a pickoff play and a passed ball — and University City scratched out a 2-1 win over the Tigers in Saturday’s CIF San Diego Section Division 4 title game. —John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2024

Verb

Even Mookie Betts couldn’t provide a spark, getting picked off at first base in the first inning after his only hit of the night. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2024

Doncic delivered the dagger a minute later as Mike Conley tried to throw up an alley-oop lob to Gobert, but it was picked off by Doncic. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1911, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pick off

verb

1

: to shoot or bring down one by one or with a single shot

2

: to put out (a base runner who is off base) with a quick throw