go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1

: explode

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to go forth, out, or away : leave

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

Phrases

go off the deep end

1

: to enter recklessly on a course

2

: to become very much excited

Synonyms

• blow
• blow up
• burst
• crump
• detonate
• explode
• pop

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

To put this into perspective, one study found that without funding from CPB, 26 stations would go off the air and 23 stations would need to reduce their coverage areas. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 May 2025

Jerry Jones, the owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, moseyed out to join Goodell and go off script with some self-mythologizing and something about being happy to have met Rupert Murdoch. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025

Officers responded to the store at 5:24 a.m. when a burglary alarm went off and found that a blue Hyundai sedan that was reported stolen in Bristol was used to ram the front of the store. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 13 May 2025

Slather on a layer before bedtime for maximum benefits before your alarm goes off in the morning. —Sarah Han, Allure, 12 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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