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get off
verb
(intr, adverb) to escape the consequences of an action
he got off very lightly in the accident
(adverb) to be or cause to be acquitted
a good lawyer got him off
(adverb) to depart or cause to depart
to get the children off to school
(intr) to descend (from a bus, train, etc); dismount
she got off at the terminus
to move or cause to move to a distance (from)
get off the field
(tr, adverb) to remove; take off
get your coat off
(adverb) to go or send to sleep
(adverb) to send (letters) or (of letters) to be sent
slang, (intr, adverb) to become high on or as on heroin or some other drug
informal, to establish an amorous or sexual relationship with
informal, to rebuke or criticize someone harshly
Idioms and Phrases
Dismount, leave a vehicle, as in She got off the horse right away , or Let's get off the train at the next stop . [Late 1600s]
Start, as on a trip; leave. For example, We got off at the crack of dawn . [Mid-1700s]
Fire a round of ammunition; also, send away. For example, He got off two shots, but the deer fled , or I got off that letter just in time .
Escape from punishment; also, obtain a lesser penalty or release for someone. For example, He apologized so profusely that he was sure to get off , or The attorney got her client off with a slap on the wrist . This sense is sometimes amplified to get off easy or get off lightly . Where there is no punishment at all, the expression is sometimes put as get off scot-free , originally meaning “be free from paying a fine or tax ( scot ),” dating from the 1500s. [Mid-1600s]
Remove, take off, as in I can't seem to get this paint off the car . [Second half of 1600s]
Succeed in uttering, especially a joke. For example, Carl always manages to get off a good one before he gets serious . [Mid-1800s]
Have the effrontery to do or say something. For example, Where does he get off telling me what to do? [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
Experience orgasm, as in She never did get off . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
Also, get off of one . Stop bothering or criticizing one, as in Get off me right now! or If you don't get off of me I'm walking out . [ Slang ; c. 1940] Also see get off on ; off one's back .
Example Sentences
Their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign could not have got off to a worse start.
This season’s Jaguars got off to a 4-1 start but have lost three of their last four to slip back into the pack.
He spent all that time working out data kinks because he knew they couldn’t afford errors once the product got off the ground.
“Man, as soon as I got off work every day, I hit it hard,” she says.
A number of La Niñas have gotten off to wet starts only for the storm door to suddenly shut, according to Kittell.
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