work off

verb

1. to get rid of or dissipate, as by effort

   he worked off some of his energy by digging the garden

2. to discharge (a debt) by labour rather than payment

Idioms and Phrases

Get rid of by work or effort, as in They worked off that big dinner by running on the beach , or It'll take him months to work off that debt . [Second half of 1600s]

Example Sentences

"People are often exploited, they’re held for large sums of money and often are put into things like debt bondage to try and work off these debts."

From BBC

Bosa, absent since leaving the joint practice with the Rams on Aug. 4 because of an apparent hand/wrist injury, was working off to the side Thursday during practice.

From Los Angeles Times

Colson and Vidal did do some work off to the side.

From Los Angeles Times

So I’m working off of production drafts and working with three different estates, and the originators aren’t around to explain, “That’s what this very shorthand stage direction meant.”

From Los Angeles Times

Thanks to Jay's phone pinging a mast, Spanish police had a location to work off.

From BBC