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

The girl got off the school bus and was walking home along North Shore Road when a car hit her and took off, leaving her and her family traumatized. — Amanda Callahan, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026

Clemson got off to a 1-1 start after going 7-6 a year ago and failing to reach the ACC championship game for only the third time in the past 11 years. — ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Passengers were not told to get off the train, and MTA workers did not open the doors during the incident, according to the outlet. — Charmaine Patterson, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

The mood had totally shifted by the time everyone got off the coach. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Meeting the ambitious benchmark would mean that launches – many of which are to deploy military payload to orbit – would more than quadruple from today, when about 200 rockets get off the ground per year. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026

The Chiefs’ quest to regain the title got off to a great start. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026

The Dallas Cowboys started off the NFL season with a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants, which surprised many who thought the team would get off to a fast start after a strong offseason. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026

But New England got off the mat and surprisingly reached the Super Bowl, while Las Vegas tied the Jets for the worst record in football. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 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