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

---

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

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

BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast was taken off air, switching to pre-recorded music and breakfast television news bulletins from Scotland were suspended.

From BBC

Hungary's film service industry started taking off in 2004, following the adoption of a scheme allowing film projects to register for a cash rebate.

From Barron's

The lightweight six-propeller aircraft under construction take off vertically and fit into a large car, to create the "Land Aircraft Carrier" -- a modular flying vehicle made by Aridge, an arm of Chinese EV maker XPeng.

From Barron's

But it's only in the last year that it has taken off online, whether it be a motivational video for gains in the gym or ironically in a meme about a lazy cat.

From BBC

"When you play a shot into the middle and the white takes off, I nearly missed the red completely, it's supposed to be the second biggest tournament in the world," said Maguire.

From BBC

Related Words

• blast off
• blow
• depart
• disappear
• get off
• get out
• go
• pull out
• soar
• withdraw