make off
Britishverb
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(intr, adverb) to go or run away in haste
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to steal or abduct
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Depart in haste, run away, as in The cat took one look at Richard and made off . [c. 1700]
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make off with . Take something away; also, steal something, as in I can't write it down; Tom made off with my pen , or The burglars made off with the stereo and computer as well as jewelry . [Early 1800s]
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.
The “most important takeaway” for Tesla investors is what the company can make off its autonomous software, he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
"It's not something you think: 'How much money can you make off it?'."
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The mischievous thieving monkey Ukiki is once again trying to make off with the belongings of a passerby when he is stopped by another traveler: Princess Daisy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
But when they opened the door to try to make off with the car, his private security—an armed former New York City police officer—was sitting in the front seat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
He couldn’t stop thinking about the money he could make off that sale—almost exactly enough to take care of this date.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
