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

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

From MarketWatch • Mar. 22, 2026

At the moment it feels like they have got players who can come off the bench and impact games if they need it.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

In its efforts to celebrate the U.S. victory, the White House has come off as tone deaf to many of the players.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

But the technology can also make basic factual mistakes in reviews, expose sensitive information, exaggerate praise or criticism, or come off as generic and impersonal, undermining the boss’s relationship with the employee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

They wore the costumes of the Komedie Brute, but no one got access to his office without showing his face, so the masks had come off.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Related Words

• go off
• go over
• pan out