get off
Britishverb
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(intr, adverb) to escape the consequences of an action
he got off very lightly in the accident
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(adverb) to be or cause to be acquitted
a good lawyer got him off
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(adverb) to depart or cause to depart
to get the children off to school
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(intr) to descend (from a bus, train, etc); dismount
she got off at the terminus
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to move or cause to move to a distance (from)
get off the field
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(tr, adverb) to remove; take off
get your coat off
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(adverb) to go or send to sleep
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(adverb) to send (letters) or (of letters) to be sent
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slang (intr, adverb) to become high on or as on heroin or some other drug
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informal to establish an amorous or sexual relationship with
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informal to rebuke or criticize someone harshly
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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]
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Start, as on a trip; leave. For example, We got off at the crack of dawn . [Mid-1700s]
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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 .
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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]
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Remove, take off, as in I can't seem to get this paint off the car . [Second half of 1600s]
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Succeed in uttering, especially a joke. For example, Carl always manages to get off a good one before he gets serious . [Mid-1800s]
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Have the effrontery to do or say something. For example, Where does he get off telling me what to do? [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
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Experience orgasm, as in She never did get off . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After Friday's official weigh-ins, Rousey waited for Carano to get off the scales and greeted her with a hug after she made weight for their featherweight bout.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
And what most drives people to get off the doomscroll and into the streets?
From Slate • May 15, 2026
It recently announced its first product, a portable water-filtration device designed for use by everyone from emergency-response organizers to people looking to get off the grid, with deliveries scheduled for late this year.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
In Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America,” Roy M. Cohn, trying to assuage an angry client he can’t get off the phone, offers theater tickets to a show he knows that this annoying rube will like.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
But whatever they are, they get off the bench and start moving in my direction.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
