QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Idioms for off
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.
Words nearby off
ofay, of choice, Ofcom, of consequence, of course, off, Offa, off again, on again, off-air, offal, Offaly
Definition 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.
Definition for off (3 of 3)
off.
abbreviation
offered.
office.
officer.
official.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for off
British Dictionary definitions for off
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
Idioms and Phrases with off
off
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.