come off

British  

verb

1. (also preposition) to fall (from), losing one's balance

2. to become detached or be capable of being detached

3. (preposition) to be removed from (a price, tax, etc)

   will anything come off income tax in the budget?

4. (copula) to emerge from or as if from a trial or contest

   he came off the winner

5. informal to take place or happen

6. informal to have the intended effect; succeed

   his jokes did not come off

7. slang to have an orgasm

8. informal stop trying to fool me!

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come off Idioms  

1. Happen, occur, as in The trip came off on schedule . [Early 1800s]

2. Acquit oneself, reach the end. This usage always includes a modifier, as in Whenever challenged he comes off badly , or This model is doomed to come off second-best . [Mid-1600s]

3. Succeed, as in Our dinner party really came off . [Mid-1800s]

4. See come off it .

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

come off

Before that, as “rock porridge” still slid downhill, and the rain still fell, the annual parade had come off as scheduled, if not as planned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

In fairness, Vance doesn’t exactly come off like a rogue agent.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

When my Patriots are in a real one, a season-on-the-line one, all hands come off deck.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

The S&P 500 has just come off a “statistically significant” rally of about 21% over the 100 days from its March 30 closing low through Aug. 21, according to Colas.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

“I hope I don’t come off as bitter in your story. I’m really not. I still believe in ‘true love’ and ‘meant to be’ as much as anybody else.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Related Words

• go off
• go over
• pan out