off

[ awf, of ]

/ ɔf, ɒf /

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See synonyms for off on Thesaurus.com

adverb

so as to be no longer supported or attached: This button is about to come off.

so as to be no longer covering or enclosing: to take a hat off;to take the wrapping off.

away from a place: to run off;to look off toward the west.

away from a path, course, etc.; aside: This road branches off to Grove City.

so as to be away or on one's way: to start off early;to cast off.

away from what is considered normal, regular, standard, or the like: to go off on a tangent.

from a charge or price: He took 10 percent off for all cash purchases.

at a distance in space or future time: to back off a few feet;Summer is only a week off.

out of operation or effective existence: Turn the lights off.

into operation or action: The alarm goes off at noon.

so as to interrupt continuity or cause discontinuance: Negotiations have been broken off.

in absence from work, service, a job, etc.: two days off at Christmas.

completely; utterly: to kill off all the inhabitants.

with prompt or ready performance: to dash a letter off.

to fulfillment, or into execution or effect: The contest came off on the appointed day.

into nonexistence or nothingness: My headache passed off soon.

so as to be delineated, divided, or apportioned: Mark it off into equal parts.

away from a state of consciousness: I must have dozed off.

Nautical. away from the land, a ship, the wind, etc.

preposition

so as no longer to be supported by, attached to, on, resting on, or unified with: Take your feet off the table!Break a piece of bread off the loaf.

deviating from: off balance;off course.

below or less than the usual or expected level or standard: 20 percent off the marked price;I was off my golf game.

away, disengaged, or resting from: to be off duty on Tuesdays.

Informal. refraining or abstaining from; denying oneself the pleasure, company, practice, etc., of: He's off gambling.

away from; apart or distant from: a village off the main road.

leading into or away from: an alley off 12th Street.

not fixed on or directed toward, as the gaze, eyes, etc.: Their eyes weren't off the king for a moment.

Informal. from (a specified source): I bought it off a street vendor.

from or of, indicating material or component parts: to lunch off cheese and fruit.

from or by such means or use of: living off an inheritance;living off his parents.

Nautical. at some distance to seaward of: off Cape Hatteras.

adjective

in error; wrong: You are off on that point.

slightly abnormal or not quite sane: He is a little off, but he's really harmless.

not up to standard; not so good or satisfactory as usual; inferior or subnormal: a good play full of off moments.

no longer in effect, in operation, or in process: The agreement is off.

stopped from flowing, as by the closing of a valve: The electricity is off.

in a specified state, circumstance, etc.: to be badly off for money.

(of time) free from work or duty; nonworking: a pastime for one's off hours.

not working at one's usual occupation: We're off Wednesdays during the summer.

of less than the ordinary activity, liveliness, or lively interest; slack: an off season in the tourist trade.

unlikely; remote; improbable: on the off chance that we'd find her at home.

more distant; farther: the off side of a wall.

(of a vehicle, single animal, or pair of animals hitched side by side) of, being, or pertaining to the right as seen from the rider's or driver's viewpoint (opposed to near): the off horse;the off side.

starting on one's way; leaving: I'm off to Europe on Monday.They're off and running in the third race at Aqueduct.

lower in price or value; down: Stock prices were off this morning.

Nautical. noting one of two like things that is the farther from the shore; seaward: the off side of the ship.

Cricket. noting or pertaining to that side of the wicket or of the field opposite that on which the batsman stands.

noun

the state or fact of being off.

Cricket. the off side.

verb (used without object)

to go off or away; leave (used imperatively): Off, and don't come back!

verb (used with object)

Slang. to kill; slay.

Verb Phrases

get off on. get¹ (def. 57).

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Idioms about off

get it off. get¹ (def. 54).

off and on,

Also on and off. with intervals between; intermittently: to work off and on.
Nautical. on alternate tacks.

off of, Informal. off: Take your feet off of the table!

off with,

take away; remove: Off with those muddy boots before you step into this kitchen!
cut off: Off with his head!

Origin of off

Originally a stressed variant of of¹

usage note for off

The phrasal preposition off of is old in English, going back to the 16th century. Although usage guides reject it as redundant, recommending off without of, the phrase is widespread in speech, including that of the educated: Let's watch as the presidential candidates come off of the rostrum and down into the audience. Off of is rare in edited writing except to give the flavor of speech.

Other definitions for off (2 of 3)

-off

a suffixal use of the adverb off, forming nouns that denote competitions, especially between the finalists of earlier competitions or as a means of deciding a tie: cookoff; playoff; runoff.

Other definitions for off (3 of 3)

off.

abbreviation

offered.

office.

officer.

official.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use off in a sentence

Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The NOPD fired Knight in 1973 for stealing lumber from a construction site as an off-duty cop.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The off-year special election into which Duke threw himself drew little media notice at first.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Aaron Paul may play a young Han Solo in the first Star Wars spin-off.
Juiciest ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Rumors (and Some Debunked Ones)|Rich Goldstein|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A far-off volley rumbled over the plain, and a few birds stirred uneasily among the trees.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Jean was to be an architect—God knows why—but Aristide settled it, definitely, off-hand.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
In favorable parts of the trail he must do better than that, to off-set losses of time where the going was most difficult.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
There was something about the man that Matt liked, in spite of the deceit he had practised at the start-off of their acquaintance.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
She did not take the broad, beaten road which led to the far-off plantation of Valmonde.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for off

off

/ (ɒf) /

preposition

used to indicate actions in which contact is absent or rendered absent, as between an object and a surfaceto lift a cup off the table

used to indicate the removal of something that is or has been appended to or in association with something elseto take the tax off potatoes

out of alignment withwe are off course

situated near to or leading away fromjust off the High Street

not inclined towardsI'm off work; I've gone off you

adverb

(particle) so as to be deactivated or disengagedturn off the radio

(particle)

so as to get rid ofsleep off a hangover
so as to be removed from, esp as a reductionhe took ten per cent off

spent away from work or other dutiestake the afternoon off

on a trip, journey, or raceI saw her off at the station
(particle) so as to be completely absent, used up, or exhaustedthis stuff kills off all vermin

out from the shore or landthe ship stood off

out of contact; at a distancethe ship was 10 miles off
out of the present locationthe girl ran off

away in the futureAugust is less than a week off

(particle) so as to be no longer taking placethe match has been rained off

(particle) removed from contact with something, as clothing from the bodythe girl took all her clothes off

offstagenoises off

commerce (used with a preceding number) indicating the number of items required or producedplease supply 100 off

off and on or on and off occasionally; intermittentlyhe comes here off and on

off with (interjection) a command, often peremptory, or an exhortation to remove or cut off (something specified)off with his head; off with that coat, my dear

adjective

not on; no longer operativethe off position on the dial

(postpositive) not or no longer taking place; cancelled or postponedthe meeting is off

in a specified condition regarding money, provisions, etcwell off; how are you off for bread?

unsatisfactory or disappointinghis performance was rather off; an off year for good tennis

(postpositive) in a condition as specifiedI'd be better off without this job

(postpositive) no longer on the menu; not being served at the momentsorry, love, haddock is off

(postpositive) (of food or drink) having gone bad, sour, etcthis milk is off

noun

cricket

the part of the field on that side of the pitch to which the batsman presents his bat when taking strike: thus for a right-hander, off is on the right-hand sideCompare leg (def. 13)
(in combination) a fielding position in this part of the fieldmid-off
(as modifier)the off stump

verb

(tr) to kill (someone)

Word Origin for off

originally variant of of; fully distinguished from it in the 17th century

usage for off

In standard English, off is not followed by of: he stepped off (not off of) the platform

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with off

off

In addition to the idioms beginning with off

off again, on again
off and on
off and running
off balance
off base
off duty
off guard
off of
off one's chest, get
off one's feed
off one's guard
off one's head
off one's high horse
off one's rocker
off someone's back
off someone's feet
off someone's hands
off the air
off the beam
off the beaten track
off the cuff
off the deep end
off the ground
off the handle
off the hook
off the mark
off the rack
off the rails
off the record
off the shelf
off the top of one's head
off the track
off the wagon
off the wall

also see:

back off
bad off
beat off
beat the pants off
beg off
be off
better off
bite off more than one can chew
bite someone's head off
blast off
blow off
blow off steam
blow the lid off
bore to death (the pants off)
branch off
break off
bring off
browned off
brush off
bug off
bump off
burn off
buy off
buzz off
call off
cap it all (off)
carry off
cart off
cast off
change off
charge off
check off
cheesed off
chip off the old block
choke off
clear out (off)
come off
come off it
cool down (off)
cool off
count off
cry off
cut off
cut off one's nose
dash off
day off
die off
doze off
drop off
dust off
ease off
easy as pie (rolling off a log)
fall away (off)
fat of the land, live off the
fight off
fire off
first off
fish or cut bait (shit or get off)
fly off the handle
fob off
fuck off
get off
get off on
get off one's tail
get off the dime
get off the ground
give off
give the shirt off one's back
go off
go off the deep end
goof off
hands off
hats off to
haul off
have it (off)
head off
high off the hog
hit it off
hold off
hot off the press
jerk off
jumping-off place
keep off
kick off
kill off
kiss off
knock it off
knock off
knock someone's block off
knock the socks off
laugh off
lay off
lead off
leave off
let off
level off
lift off
like a chicken with its head cut off
like water off a duck's back
load off one's mind
log in (off)
make off
mouth off
nod off
no skin off one's nose
on (off) camera
on (off) duty
on the (off) chance
pack off
pair off
palm off
pants off
pass off
pay off
peel off
pick off
piss off
play off
polish off
pull off
push off
put off
put someone off
quick off the mark
rake off
rattle off
right away (off)
rip off
round off
rub off
run away (off)
run off
run off at the mouth
run off with
rush off one's feet
seal off
see someone off
sell off
send off
set off
shake off
shoot off one's mouth
show off
shrug off
sign off
slack off
slip out (off)
sound off
spin off
split one's sides (laugh one's head off)
sponge on (off)
square off
squeeze off
stand off
stave off
stop off
straight off
swear off
switch on (off)
tail off
take off
take off after
take the edge off
take up where one left off
talk someone's arm off
taper off
tear off
tee off
tell off
tell someone where to get off
throw off
trade off
wipe off the map

Also see underon.