get off

verb

got off; got off or gotten off; getting off; gets off

intransitive verb

1

: to avoid the most serious consequences of a dangerous situation or punishment

got off with a light sentence

2

: start, leave

got off on the trip early

3

: to leave work with permission or as scheduled

4

: to get high on a drug

5

: to experience orgasm

6

: to experience great pleasure

—often used with on

transitive verb

1

: to secure the release of or procure a modified penalty for

his lawyers got him off

2

a

: utter

get off a joke

b

: to write and send

3

: to succeed in doing, making, or delivering

4

: to cause to get off

Synonyms of get off

• depart
• move
• exit
• get
• go
• pull out
• peel off
• push off
• go off
• walk out
• run along
• take off
• cut out
• escape
• start
• bail out
• clear off
• clear out
• step (along)
• push on
• evacuate
• dig out

Examples of get off in a Sentence

told him to get off for home before it got dark

breakfast helps you get off to a good start in the morning

Recent Examples on the Web

Iginla has a great shot that gets off the stick quickly and can pick corners. — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Granted, there’s no guarantee that the Clippers will get off scot-free. — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Hall’s name was rumored to possibly be on the move at the trade deadline last November after the Jets got off to a 1-7 start and traded Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams to the Colts and Cowboys, respectively. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026

Passengers got off the plane via stairs and were bused to the terminal, FAA said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

Both have been in the works with other studios for some time but couldn’t get off the ground due to financial constraints. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026

Between 2017 and 2023, that team delivered solutions at a success rate of over 50 percent—meaning the prototype was accepted by the military—across hundreds of projects and helped innovative companies such as Anduril get off the ground. — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

In recent years, the state has pivoted toward hydrogen for buses, trucks and port equipment, but these too have struggled to get off the ground. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Espanyol got off to a good start by beating Levante 3-0 in the Spanish league with a pair of goals from Roberto Fernández in the first weekend of action across Europe’s top domestic leagues on Sunday. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for get off

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

Kids Definition

get off

verb

1

: set out sense 2

got off on their camping trip

2

: to escape or help to escape punishment or harm