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Synonyms

take off

British  

verb

  1. (tr) to remove or discard (a garment)

  2. (intr) (of an aircraft) to become airborne

  3. informal to set out or cause to set out on a journey

    they took off for Spain

  4. (tr) (of a disease) to prove fatal to; kill

  5. informal (tr) to mimic or imitate, esp in an amusing or satirical manner

  6. informal (intr) to become successful or popular, esp suddenly

"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

noun

  1. the act or process of making an aircraft airborne

  2. the stage of a country's economic development when rapid and sustained economic growth is first achieved

  3. informal an act of mimicry; imitation

"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
take off Idioms  

  1. Remove, as in Take off your coat and stay for a while , or I took my foot off the brake . [c. 1300]

  2. 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]

  3. Carry or take away, as in The passengers were taken off one by one . [Late 1800s]

  4. 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]

  5. Move forward quickly, as in The dog took off after the car .

  6. 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]

  7. Rise in flight, as in The airplane took off on time . [Mid-1800s]

  8. Discontinue, as in The railroad took off the commuter special . [Mid-1700s]

  9. Imitate humorously or satirically, as in He had a way of taking off the governor that made us howl with laughter . [Mid-1700s]

  10. 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.

A flight attendant came around with Champagne and water before take off.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Within the U.S., the savory yogurt craze has been slow to take off.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch will make the trip with their Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen, and are now set to take off as soon as April 1.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

A Colombian military plane carrying 125 troops and crew crashed on take off Monday, with as many as 80 people aboard feared dead.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

By the time I caught up, she was already on her bike, about to take off.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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.