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!

---

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 .

---

Example Sentences

As they chatted on Discord, a platform favored by videogamers, Brundage was eager to get more information, but he didn’t want to come off as too serious and shut down the conversation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“Prices will come off on the other side,” Bessent said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 22, 2026

Arsenal needed their big guns to come off the bench to secure a win over a battling Mansfield Town side in the FA Cup fifth round, but it was two 16-year-olds who made history.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

I had come off of filming “A Complete Unknown” and I was in New York.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

“Oh, come off it,” said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• go off
• go over
• pan out