take off
Britishverb
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(tr) to remove or discard (a garment)
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(intr) (of an aircraft) to become airborne
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informal to set out or cause to set out on a journey
they took off for Spain
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(tr) (of a disease) to prove fatal to; kill
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informal (tr) to mimic or imitate, esp in an amusing or satirical manner
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informal (intr) to become successful or popular, esp suddenly
noun
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the act or process of making an aircraft airborne
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the stage of a country's economic development when rapid and sustained economic growth is first achieved
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informal an act of mimicry; imitation
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Remove, as in Take off your coat and stay for a while , or I took my foot off the brake . [c. 1300]
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Deduct, decrease, as in He took 20 percent off the original price , or I want you to trim my hair, but please don't take off too much . [c. 1700]
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Carry or take away, as in The passengers were taken off one by one . [Late 1800s]
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Also, take oneself off . Leave, go away, as in I'm taking off now , or We take ourselves off for China next month , or, as an imperative, Take yourself off right now! [First half of 1800s]
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Move forward quickly, as in The dog took off after the car .
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Become well known or popular, or achieve sudden growth, as in That actor's career has really taken off , or Sales took off around the holidays . [Mid-1900s]
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Rise in flight, as in The airplane took off on time . [Mid-1800s]
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Discontinue, as in The railroad took off the commuter special . [Mid-1700s]
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Imitate humorously or satirically, as in He had a way of taking off the governor that made us howl with laughter . [Mid-1700s]
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Withhold service, as in I'm taking off from work today because of the funeral . [First half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One day, equity markets are drunk on the prospect that artificial intelligence will cure cancer, improve on Shakespeare and make airplanes take off on time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
"Benn is going to get knocked out in one or two rounds. You can't take off all this weight at this age - he doesn't even look recognisable."
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
A 2013 push by Google failed to take off but Meta's smart spectacles, developed in partnership with Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica, have fared much better.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
One ankle-twisting stutter-step is all it took for the true freshman to take off, once again.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
We take off side by side, but as soon as we start running uphill, the air seems to thicken and I can barely suck it in.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
