peel-off

[ peel-awf, -of ]

/ ˈpilˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

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adjective

designed to be peeled off from a backing or large sheet, usually of paper, before use; readied for use by peeling off: peel-off labels.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Origin of peel-off

First recorded in 1935–40; adj. use of verb phrase peel off

Words nearby peel-off

peel, peel-and-stick, Peele, peeler, peeling, peel-off, peely-wally, peen, Peene, Peenemünde, peep

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use peel-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
In the late eighties he returned to his native island, settled at Peel, and became a magnate there.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Down coast, and Whitehaven; the manager of the company was my friend, and would allow the steamer to drop me at Peel.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
In what respect has the subsequent conduct of Sir Robert Peel been inconsistent with these declarations?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He planted an ambush in the early morning, and let the hay lie till the peel men had gone out to cut their crop.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison

British Dictionary definitions for peel-off

peel off

verb (adverb)

to remove or be removed by peeling

(intr) slang to undress

(intr) (of an aircraft) to turn away as by banking, and leave a formation

slang to go away or cause to go away

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 peel-off

peel off

Remove an outer layer of skin, bark, paint, or the like; also, come off in thin strips or pieces. For example, Peeling off birch bark can kill the tree, or Paint was peeling off the walls. [Late 1500s]

Remove or separate, as in Helen peeled off her gloves and got to work, or Al peeled off a ten-dollar bill and gave it to the driver. [First half of 1900s]

Also, peel away. Depart from a group, as in Ruth peeled off from the pack of runners and went down a back road. This expression originated in air force jargon during World War II and was used for an airplane or pilot that left flight formation, a sight that suggested the peeling of skin from a banana.