be off
Idioms-
Leave, depart, as in I'm off to the races; wish me luck . This phrase, first recorded in 1826, was once commonly used as an imperative, meaning “go away”—as in Be off or I'll call the police —but today is rare in this context.
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Be in poor condition; be stale or spoiled; not work properly. For example, This milk must be off; it tastes sour , or The kitchen clock is off by at least five minutes . [Early 1990s]
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Be free from work, school, or some other regular occupation, as in The secretary is off today, but perhaps I can find it . [Mid-1800s]
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Decline, as in The industrial stocks are off 50 points today . This usage, nearly always applied to securities or other prices, was first recorded in 1929, the year of the great stock market crash.
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see be off.
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.
“Once a health event happens,” Judge said, “the option may be off the table entirely.”
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
If and when Microsoft does find a successful formula for corporate AI, it will be off to the races.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
Not that extremist positions should be off limits, but they ought to be more rigorously addressed.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
If that model is missing something, such as details about dark energy, unknown particles, or changes in gravity, its predictions for today's expansion could be off.
From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026
And then we would be off to the station, hand in hand, I lengthening my strides and he shortening his to keep in step.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
