to remove or be removed by peeling
slang (intr) to undress
(intr) (of an aircraft) to turn away as by banking, and leave a formation
slang to go away or cause to go away
Remove an outer layer of skin, bark, paint, or the like; also, come off in thin strips or pieces. For example, Peeling off birch bark can kill the tree , or Paint was peeling off the walls . [Late 1500s]
Remove or separate, as in Helen peeled off her gloves and got to work , or Al peeled off a ten-dollar bill and gave it to the driver . [First half of 1900s]
Also, peel away . Depart from a group, as in Ruth peeled off from the pack of runners and went down a back road . This expression originated in air force jargon during World War II and was used for an airplane or pilot that left flight formation, a sight that suggested the peeling of skin from a banana.
First recorded in 1935–40; adj. use of verb phrase peel off
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Peel off the top layer of parchment, and lightly rub or brush the top of the dough with the remaining teaspoon of oil.
From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2018
Peel off the next sheet and butter it, cover with another sheet and set aside.
From The Guardian • Oct. 25, 2017
Peel off the gloss and the CGI, and you'll see a horde of dead horses shambling towards you.
From The Guardian • Aug. 5, 2011
Peel off the skin, cut the tongue in rather thick slices, and glaze them.
From The Cook's Decameron: a study in taste, containing over two hundred recipes for Italian dishes by Waters, W. G., Mrs.
Peel off the precipitated lead with the help of a glass rod, and then clean the zinc.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Beringer, Cornelius
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.
