go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1

: explode

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to go forth, out, or away : leave

4

: to undergo decline or deterioration

5

: to follow the expected or desired course : proceed

the party went off well

6

: to make a characteristic noise : sound

could hear the alarm going off

Phrases

go off the deep end

1

: to enter recklessly on a course

2

: to become very much excited

Synonyms

• blow
• blow up
• burst
• crump
• detonate
• explode
• pop

Examples of go off in a Sentence

specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch

Recent Examples on the Web

Sometimes, a player just goes off on an incredible streak of shooting. —The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 3 May 2025

While responding to a call after a two-car collision, Chim goes off on one of the drivers, as well as Gerrard (Brian Thompson), who has stepped in as interim captain until a replacement can be determined. —Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 2 May 2025

Law enforcement sources reported that the student was a 13-year-old boy and that the gun went off accidentally, possibly from inside a backpack, between 8 and 8:30 am. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Donald Trump’s interview with ABC News’ Terry Moran went off the rails on Tuesday, April 29, after the president insisted that an edited image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was the real thing. —Meredith Kile, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for go off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

go off

verb

1

: explode sense 2b

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to take place : proceed

the dance went off as planned