come off
Britishverb
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(also preposition) to fall (from), losing one's balance
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to become detached or be capable of being detached
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(preposition) to be removed from (a price, tax, etc)
will anything come off income tax in the budget?
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(copula) to emerge from or as if from a trial or contest
he came off the winner
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informal to take place or happen
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informal to have the intended effect; succeed
his jokes did not come off
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slang to have an orgasm
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informal stop trying to fool me!
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Happen, occur, as in The trip came off on schedule . [Early 1800s]
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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]
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Succeed, as in Our dinner party really came off . [Mid-1800s]
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See come off it .
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.
Barker has said that, in writing the film, he wanted to explore the fear of men “not saying the right thing, or not wanting to come off like a creep.”
From Salon • Jun. 4, 2026
Some coasts will also be fresher, where sea breezes come off a cooler sea.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
He would call that the “wheels come off the bus” scenario.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
Wheeler is their only veteran point guard, and the 36-year-old will come off the bench and handle the ball, but the Sparks are buying into a less-defined backcourt.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Tired eyes that had just come off two shifts in a row.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
