throw off

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle off

Meanings

1

Successfully escape from something restricting

Why “off”? Something had a hold on you — a punishment, a fear, a restriction. The hold breaks, and you slip away free.

She threw off her doubts.
She successfully escaped her doubts.
He threw off his old fears.
He successfully escaped his old fears.

Don't confuse with

throw offthrow over

Throw off means successfully escape from something restricting. Throw over means end a romantic relationship suddenly, often for someone else.

Test yourself

She threw off her doubts. What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

Practice “throw off” in Sink In

Drill this and 600+ phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by particle.