count off
phrasal verb
counted off; counting off; counts off
: to count numbers that are spaced a certain number apart
The students counted off one by one.
Examples of count off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Donovan emerged from the dugout, worked a 1-2 count off Rockies reliever Juan Mejia, and then promptly drilled a two-run, go-ahead double to right field to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead.
—
Katie Woo, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025
And instead of having a pendulum that counts off each second, the clock's pendulum has a base of 10 seconds.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2011
One difference: The longtime equipment guy counted off a traveling roster of 16 coaches and another 18 support staff.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
Pham worked a 2-2 count off Bradford, laying off a changeup and a four-seam fastball down in the zone, before Bradford’s fifth pitch — an 82 mph changeup on the outside of the plate — seemingly floated out of his hand.
—Katie Woo, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
Once the control table was satisfied, the team counted off.
—Kimberly Aguirre, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
Mulligan then dropped to her knees to give Stone a long hug, and the two spoke quietly into each other's ears during the embrace as an announcer counted off the seconds to the end of the break.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
In one case, a frontman who never lived seems to count off a nonexistent band.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023
That’s when Ellington looks over at me with a gleam in his eye and counts off the band.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 May 2023
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Katie Woo, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2025
And instead of having a pendulum that counts off each second, the clock's pendulum has a base of 10 seconds.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Oct. 2011
One difference: The longtime equipment guy counted off a traveling roster of 16 coaches and another 18 support staff.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
Pham worked a 2-2 count off Bradford, laying off a changeup and a four-seam fastball down in the zone, before Bradford’s fifth pitch — an 82 mph changeup on the outside of the plate — seemingly floated out of his hand.
—Katie Woo, The Athletic, 30 July 2024
Once the control table was satisfied, the team counted off.
—Kimberly Aguirre, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2024
Mulligan then dropped to her knees to give Stone a long hug, and the two spoke quietly into each other's ears during the embrace as an announcer counted off the seconds to the end of the break.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
In one case, a frontman who never lived seems to count off a nonexistent band.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023
That’s when Ellington looks over at me with a gleam in his eye and counts off the band.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 May 2023
Cite this Entry
“Count off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/count%20off. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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