work off
Britishverb
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to get rid of or dissipate, as by effort
he worked off some of his energy by digging the garden
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to discharge (a debt) by labour rather than payment
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But changes to home and auto insurance policies can take months to be approved, and regulators typically work off historic data, so profits can take a long time to filter through to prices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
King's pioneering work off the court paid off: women now receive equal prize money to the men at each of the four majors.
From Barron's • Dec. 27, 2025
Wissa's record in front of goal, his ability to plug in and his work off the ball made him an attractive proposition for Newcastle, who only had one player hit double figures last season.
From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025
New Mexico became the first state to ban lunch shaming in 2017, and others followed with laws against tactics like throwing away food, stamping students’ hands or making them work off debt with “chores.”
From Salon • Sep. 11, 2025
Besides, it was my debt to work off.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
