off

1 of 6

adverb

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 glassfinish 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 tablea path off the main walka 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 himdined off oysters
4
a
used as a function word to indicate the suspension of an occupation or activity
off dutyoff liquor
b
: below the usual standard or level of
off his game

off

3 of 6

adjective

1
a
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
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
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!

off

5 of 6

abbreviation

office; officer; official

-off

6 of 6

noun combining form

ˌȯf
: competition : contest
cook-off
dance-off

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 See More
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 | Mheim@al.com, 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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of off was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near off

Cite this Entry

“Off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

off

1 of 3 adverb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on off

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!