go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1

a

: explode

b

of a gun : shoot sense 1

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to go forth, out, or away : leave

went off to join the army

4

: to undergo decline or deterioration

5

: to follow the expected or desired course : proceed

The party went off well.

6

: to make a characteristic noise : sound

could hear the alarm going off

7

: to stop working

All the lights suddenly went off.

see also:

go off the deep end go off with

Synonyms of go off

• explode
• detonate
• pop
• blow
• burst

Examples of go off in a Sentence

specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch

Recent Examples on the Web

Having receiver Cam Coleman opposite Ryan Wingo puts opposing secondaries between a rock and a hard place, because double-teaming one can result in the other going off. — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

If Hall tried to escape or if Kiritsis was shot and fell, the gun would go off, killing Hall. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Sep. 2026

Elif Bayram went off early in the final quarter with what looked a left leg injury. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

The first one, between the University of Kentucky and Penn State University, went off with no problems. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for go off

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

Kids Definition

go off

verb

1

: explode sense 2b

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to take place : proceed

the dance went off as planned