peel-off

[peel-awf, -of]

adjective

1. 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.

peel off

verb

1. to remove or be removed by peeling

2. slang,  (intr) to undress

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

4. slang,  to go away or cause to go away

Word History and Origins

Origin of peel off¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

The team say that the pH-sensitive adhesive system could serve as a novel, and recyclable, middle ground between structural adhesives with fixed chemical bonds and peel-off adhesive films that bond using physical interactions.

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You can also have a peel-off backing to make your photo print a sticker.

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You should be able to find it on your post office receipt, shipping confirmation email, or the bottom peel-off portion of your tracking label.

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“You want to take the techniques that they’re working on and say, ‘OK, do a flyby or do a roll-off or a peel-off, something like that.’

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Several are looking at postage-paid envelopes as well as switching their style of envelope to feature a peel-off adhesive that eliminates the need for licking.

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