off

1 of 6

adverb

ˈȯf 

1

a(1)

: from a place or position

march off

specifically : away from land

ship stood off to sea

(2)

: at a distance in space or time

stood 10 paces off

a long way off

b

: from a course : aside

turned off into a bypath

specifically : away from the wind

The ship eased off a point or two.

c

: into an unconscious state

dozed off

2

a

: so as to be separated from support

rolled to the edge of the table and off

or close contact

blew the lid off

the handle came off

b

: so as to be divided

surface marked off into squares

3

a

: to a state of discontinuance or suspension

shut off an engine

b

—used as an intensifier

drink off a glass

finish it off

4

: in absence from or suspension of regular work or service

take time off for lunch

5

: offstage

The actor turns and goes off.

off

2 of 6

preposition

1

a

—used as a function word to indicate physical separation or distance from a position of rest, attachment, or union

take it off the table

a path off the main walk

a shop just off the main street

b

: to seaward of

two miles off shore

2

: from the possession or charge of

had his wallet stolen off him

3

—used as a function word to indicate the object of an action

borrowed a dollar off him

dined off oysters

4

a

—used as a function word to indicate the suspension of an occupation or activity

off duty

off liquor

b

: below the usual standard or level of

off his game

off

3 of 6

adjective

1

a

: seaward

b

: right

c

: more removed or distant

the off side of the building

2

a

: started on the way

off on a spree

b

: not taking place or staying in effect : canceled

the deal was off

c

: not operating

d

: not placed so as to permit operation

3

a

: not corresponding to fact : incorrect

off in his reckoning

b

: poor, subnormal

c

: not entirely sane : eccentric

d

: remote, slight

an off chance

4

a

: spent off duty

reading on his off days

b

: marked by a periodic decline in activity or business

traveled in the off season for lower prices

5

a

: off-color

b

: inferior

off grade of oil

also : affected with putrefaction

c

: down

stocks were off

6

: circumstanced

worse off

off

4 of 6

verb

offed; offing; offs

intransitive verb

: to go away : depart

—used chiefly as an imperative

Off, or I'll shoot!

transitive verb

slang : kill, murder

off

5 of 6

abbreviation

office; officer; official

-off

6 of 6

noun combining form

ˌȯf

: competition : contest

cook-off

dance-off

Synonyms

Adverb

• away
• down
• fro
• hence
• out

Adjective

• bad
• bastard
• bush
• bush-league
• crummy
• crumby
• deficient
• dissatisfactory
• ill
• inferior
• lame
• lousy
• paltry
• poor
• punk
• sour
• suboptimal
• subpar
• substandard
• unacceptable
• unsatisfactory
• wack [slang]
• wanting
• wretched
• wrong

Verb

• assassinate
• bump off
• croak [slang]
• dispatch
• do in
• execute
• get
• ice [slang]
• knock off
• liquidate
• murder
• neutralize
• put away
• rub out
• slay
• snuff
• take out
• terminate
• whack [slang]

Example Sentences

Adverb

She put on her jacket and off she went.

The car turned off onto a side street.

Preposition

She is still living off her parents.

The family lives off welfare.

They live off the land.

They make their living off tourism.

Adjective

The lever is in the off position.

He is off playing golf.

She is off on a trip.

Verb

The movie is about a gangster who gets power by offing his rivals.

the hit man was rumored to have offed at least three people in the last year alone

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Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The Mama look isn't too far off from that, the primary differences being the hair and the contouring (more on that momentarily). —Nicola Dall'asen, Allure, 10 Feb. 2023

The Asia-Pacific head of Binance signaled that a full audit is still far off. —Leo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 8 Feb. 2023

Connor Norby also ended 2022 at the highest minor league affiliate and aren’t far off from making their debuts. —Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 2 Feb. 2023

Full Level-5 self-driving, for example, is still far off for everyone, so that feature will clearly not be available at launch. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2023

Halfway through the 2022-23 season, Jokic (32.3) and Embiid (30.6) are both above that mark, and Doncic (29.9) isn’t far off. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 28 Jan. 2023

Tax-return filing season started Jan. 23, and that means refunds aren't far off for most taxpayers. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 26 Jan. 2023

The color palette isn’t too far off from the spinning pinwheel that can appear on Mac screens. —Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2023

While the company's CEO, Joshua Browder, admits that the commercialization of his creation is far off, he's already set his sights on testing his legal algorithm in more serious cases. —Theara Coleman, The Week, 17 Jan. 2023

Preposition

Hass took time off, left South Florida and temporarily worked for the school district. —Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2023

Flight data shows the aircraft took off from Maui at 2:49 p.m. local time and began to climb normally, reaching an altitude of 2,200 feet. —Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2023

In recent action on February 2, Mt. Vernon faced off against Noblesville . —Indy Star Ai Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Feb. 2023

Travis Kelce, tight end for the Chiefs, faced off against his older brother, Jason Kelce, center for the Philadelphia Eagles. —Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2023

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles faced off for Super Bowl LVII. —Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2023

The video took off, and his account has since grown from 300 or so followers to nearly 35,000. —Emily Mesner, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Feb. 2023

The recording was taped over when the crew took off for London shortly after the close call. —David Koenig, ajc, 11 Feb. 2023

Erdogan accepted the offer, and the team of 27 took off from Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan a few hours later. —Stephen Kurkjian, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Feb. 2023

Adjective

So, keep that in mind the next time a player has an off day or boots a couple of balls. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2023

Catcher Jonah Heim got an off day on Saturday against Oakland. —Shawn Mcfarland, Dallas News, 13 May 2023

The Heat went to work late Sunday morning to watch film, before players scattered their separate ways for some semblance of an off day. —Mark Heim | [e-mail], al, 8 May 2023

With an off day Thursday, the Reds kept Cessa on a short leash during his start. —Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 3 May 2023

Against the Warriors, the Lakers can’t afford Davis to have those off nights offensively. —Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 2 May 2023

Push your butt back and lower your torso down, extending your off arm to rest your palm on the bench. —Men's Health, 18 Apr. 2023

Rotation update The Reds bumped Luis Cessa from the rotation and will use their upcoming off days to keep a four-man rotation this week. —Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 6 May 2023

After leaving her hotel in a fur coat, Rihanna did a switcheroo into an off white Maison Valentino gown. —Venesa Coger, refinery29.com, 2 May 2023

Verb

Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-up Basics will be offed at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 24. —cleveland, 17 Feb. 2020

Brabham is a gentle man who hardly seems capable of splatting a spider, much less offing a rodent. —Andrea Sachs, chicagotribune.com, 5 Nov. 2019

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Word History

Etymology

Adverb, Preposition, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English of, from Old English — more at of

Noun combining form

runoff

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1666, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1717, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

off

1 of 3 adverb

ˈȯf 

1

a

: from a place or position

march off

stood 10 paces off

drove the dogs off

b

: from a course : aside

turned off onto a side street

c

: into an unconscious state

dozed off

2

: so as to be separated from support or close contact

rolled to the edge of the table and off

the handle came off

3

: so as to be divided

surface marked off into squares

4

: so as to be stopped or finished

shut off an engine

a coat of paint to finish it off

5

: away from work

took the day off

off

2 of 3 preposition

(ˈ)ȯf

1

: away from the surface, position, or place of

take it off the table

the ball bounced off the wall

a path off the main road

2

—used to indicate the object of an action

borrowed a dollar off him

living off my parents

3

a

: released or freed from

off duty

b

: below the usual level of

off her game

a dollar off the price

off

3 of 3 adjective

(ˈ)ȯf

1

a

: not left : right

the off horse

b

: more distant

the off side of the building

2

: started on the way

off on a trip

they're off and running

3

a

: not taking place

the game is off

b

: not operating

the radio is off

4

a

: not correct : wrong

these numbers are off

your guess is way off

b

: not entirely sane

c

: small in degree : slight

an off chance

5

: being not as busy as usual

liked to vacation during the off season

6

a

: not very good : poor

an off grade of oil

b

: below or down from the normal

stocks were off

offered at 15% off

7

: provided for or taken care of

we were better off before