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

See Examples For:

come off

Lacy doesn’t come off as someone overly concerned with doing big numbers, or pandering to a newfound pop audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Simply put, if the Strait of Hormuz is closed to traffic, oil will come off the global market and prices will rise, Jacquez said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

“I want to emphasize the importance of the players who come off the bench,” De la Fuente said after the Portugal game.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Ward stressed "no stone is left unturned" when it comes to talent identification, even if it does not always come off.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

But come off the trail, properly off, and drive somewhere, as we did now, and you realize how magnificently deluded you have been.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• go off
• go over
• pan out