View synonyms for off

off

[ awf, of ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

so as to be no longer supported or attached:
This button is about to come off.
so as to be no longer covering or enclosing: to take the wrapping off.
to take a hat off;
to take the wrapping off.
away from a place: to look off toward the west.
to run off;
to look off toward the west.
away from a path, course, etc.; aside:
This road branches off to Grove City.
so as to be away or on one's way: to cast off.
to start off early;
to cast off.
away from what is considered normal, regular, standard, or the like:
to go off on a tangent.
from a charge or price:
He took 10 percent off for all cash purchases.
at a distance in space or future time: Summer is only a week off.
to back off a few feet;
Summer is only a week off.
out of operation or effective existence:
Turn the lights off.
into operation or action:
The alarm goes off at noon.
so as to interrupt continuity or cause discontinuance:
Negotiations have been broken off.
in absence from work, service, a job, etc.:
two days off at Christmas.
completely; utterly:
to kill off all the inhabitants.
with prompt or ready performance:
to dash a letter off.
to fulfillment, or into execution or effect:
The contest came off on the appointed day.
into nonexistence or nothingness:
My headache passed off soon.
so as to be delineated, divided, or apportioned:
Mark it off into equal parts.
away from a state of consciousness:
I must have dozed off.
Nautical. away from the land, a ship, the wind, etc.

preposition

so as no longer to be supported by, attached to, on, resting on, or unified with: Break a piece of bread off the loaf.
Take your feet off the table!
Break a piece of bread off the loaf.
deviating from: off course.
off balance;
off course.
below or less than the usual or expected level or standard: I was off my golf game.
20 percent off the marked price;
I was off my golf game.
away, disengaged, or resting from:
to be off duty on Tuesdays.
Informal. refraining or abstaining from; denying oneself the pleasure, company, practice, etc., of:
He's off gambling.
away from; apart or distant from:
a village off the main road.
leading into or away from:
an alley off 12th Street.
not fixed on or directed toward, as the gaze, eyes, etc.:
Their eyes weren't off the king for a moment.
Informal. from (a specified source):
I bought it off a street vendor.
from or of, indicating material or component parts:
to lunch off cheese and fruit.
from or by such means or use of: living off his parents.
living off an inheritance;
living off his parents.
Nautical. at some distance to seaward of:
off Cape Hatteras.

adjective

in error; wrong:
You are off on that point.
slightly abnormal or not quite sane:
He is a little off, but he's really harmless.
not up to standard; not so good or satisfactory as usual; inferior or subnormal:
a good play full of off moments.
no longer in effect, in operation, or in process:
The agreement is off.
stopped from flowing, as by the closing of a valve:
The electricity is off.
in a specified state, circumstance, etc.:
to be badly off for money.
(of time) free from work or duty; nonworking:
a pastime for one's off hours.
not working at one's usual occupation:
We're off Wednesdays during the summer.
of less than the ordinary activity, liveliness, or lively interest; slack:
an off season in the tourist trade.
unlikely; remote; improbable:
on the off chance that we'd find her at home.
more distant; farther:
the off side of a wall.
(of a vehicle, single animal, or pair of animals hitched side by side) of, being, or pertaining to the right as seen from the rider's or driver's viewpoint ( near ):
the off horse;
the off side.
starting on one's way; leaving: They're off and running in the third race at Aqueduct.
I'm off to Europe on Monday.
They're off and running in the third race at Aqueduct.
lower in price or value; down:
Stock prices were off this morning.
Nautical. noting one of two like things that is the farther from the shore; seaward:
the off side of the ship.
Cricket. noting or pertaining to that side of the wicket or of the field opposite that on which the batsman stands.

noun

the state or fact of being off.
Cricket. the off side.

verb (used without object)

to go off or away; leave (used imperatively):
Off, and don't come back!

verb (used with object)

Slang. to kill; slay.

verb phrase

get ¹( def 57 ).

-off

a suffixal use of the adverb off, forming nouns that denote competitions, especially between the finalists of earlier competitions or as a means of deciding a tie:
cookoff; playoff; runoff.

off.

abbreviation for

offered.
office.
officer.
official.

off

/ ɒf /

preposition

used to indicate actions in which contact is absent or rendered absent, as between an object and a surface
to lift a cup off the table
used to indicate the removal of something that is or has been appended to or in association with something else
to take the tax off potatoes
out of alignment with
we are off course
situated near to or leading away from
just off the High Street
not inclined towards
I've gone off you
I'm off work

adverb

particle so as to be deactivated or disengaged
turn off the radio
particle
1. so as to get rid of
  sleep off a hangover
2. so as to be removed from, esp as a reduction
  he took ten per cent off
spent away from work or other duties
take the afternoon off
1. on a trip, journey, or race
  I saw her off at the station
2. particle so as to be completely absent, used up, or exhausted
  this stuff kills off all vermin
out from the shore or land
the ship stood off
1. out of contact; at a distance
  the ship was 10 miles off
2. out of the present location
  the girl ran off
away in the future
August is less than a week off
particle so as to be no longer taking place
the match has been rained off
particle removed from contact with something, as clothing from the body
the girl took all her clothes off
offstage
noises off
commerce (used with a preceding number) indicating the number of items required or produced
please supply 100 off
off and on or on and off
occasionally; intermittently
he comes here off and on
off with
interjection a command, often peremptory, or an exhortation to remove or cut off (something specified)
off with that coat, my dear
off with his head

adjective

not on; no longer operative
the off position on the dial
postpositive not or no longer taking place; cancelled or postponed
the meeting is off
in a specified condition regarding money, provisions, etc
how are you off for bread?
well off
unsatisfactory or disappointing
his performance was rather off
an off year for good tennis
postpositive in a condition as specified
I'd be better off without this job
postpositive no longer on the menu; not being served at the moment
sorry, love, haddock is off
postpositive (of food or drink) having gone bad, sour, etc
this milk is off

noun

cricket
1. the part of the field on that side of the pitch to which the batsman presents his bat when taking strike: thus for a right-hander, off is on the right-hand side Compare leg
2. in combination a fielding position in this part of the field
  mid-off
3. ( as modifier )
  the off stump

verb

tr to kill (someone)

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Usage Note

The phrasal preposition off of is old in English, going back to the 16th century. Although usage guides reject it as redundant, recommending off without of, the phrase is widespread in speech, including that of the educated: Let's watch as the presidential candidates come off of the rostrum and down into the audience. Off of is rare in edited writing except to give the flavor of speech.

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Usage

In standard English, off is not followed by of: he stepped off (not off of ) the platform

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Word History and Origins

Origin of off¹

Originally a stressed variant of of ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of off¹

originally variant of of ; fully distinguished from it in the 17th century

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

off and on,
1. Also on and off. with intervals between; intermittently:
  to work off and on.
2. Nautical. on alternate tacks.
off of, Informal. off:
Take your feet off of the table!
off with,
1. take away; remove:
  Off with those muddy boots before you step into this kitchen!
2. cut off:
  Off with his head!
get it off. get ¹( def 54 ).

More idioms and phrases containing off

back off
bad off
beat off
beat the pants off
beg off
be off
better off
bite off more than one can chew
bite someone's head off
blast off
blow off
blow off steam
blow the lid off
bore to death (the pants off)
branch off
break off
bring off
browned off
brush off
bug off
bump off
burn off
buy off
buzz off
call off
cap it all (off)
carry off
cart off
cast off
change off
charge off
check off
cheesed off
chip off the old block
choke off
clear out (off)
come off
come off it
cool down (off)
cool off
count off
cry off
cut off
cut off one's nose
dash off
day off
die off
doze off
drop off
dust off
ease off
easy as pie (rolling off a log)
fall away (off)
fat of the land, live off the
fight off
fire off
first off
fish or cut bait (shit or get off)
fly off the handle
fob off
fuck off
get off
get off on
get off one's tail
get off the dime
get off the ground
give off
give the shirt off one's back
go off
go off the deep end
goof off
hands off
hats off to
haul off
have it (off)
head off
high off the hog
hit it off
hold off
hot off the press
jerk off
jumping-off place
keep off
kick off
kill off
kiss off
knock it off
knock off
knock someone's block off
knock the socks off
laugh off
lay off
lead off
leave off
let off
level off
lift off
like a chicken with its head cut off
like water off a duck's back
load off one's mind
log in (off)
make off
mouth off
nod off
no skin off one's nose
on (off) camera
on (off) duty
on the (off) chance
pack off
pair off
palm off
pants off
pass off
pay off
peel off
pick off
piss off
play off
polish off
pull off
push off
put off
put someone off
quick off the mark
rake off
rattle off
right away (off)
rip off
round off
rub off
run away (off)
run off
run off at the mouth
run off with
rush off one's feet
seal off
see someone off
sell off
send off
set off
shake off
shoot off one's mouth
show off
shrug off
sign off
slack off
slip out (off)
sound off
spin off
split one's sides (laugh one's head off)
sponge on (off)
square off
squeeze off
stand off
stave off
stop off
straight off
swear off
switch on (off)
tail off
take off
take off after
take the edge off
take up where one left off
talk someone's arm off
taper off
tear off
tee off
tell off
tell someone where to get off
throw off
trade off
wipe off the map

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Example Sentences

Some smart moves, such as nixing most U.S. tariffs, are off the table because they would require Congress.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s not just about taking a book off a shelf,” said Tasslyn Magnusson, an author and teacher from Wisconsin who tracks book censorship across the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

“My book, and the 10,000 others that have been pulled off school library shelves this year, give kids a tool to deal with an increasingly divided and difficult world. These book banners aren’t helping children. They are harming them.”

From Los Angeles Times

Villarreal: It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.

From Los Angeles Times

Washington: “Barbenheimer” — which is strange that that flows off the tongue.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

of course Offa

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