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

Didn’t all young people go off to seek their fortune, like in the fairy tales? —Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026

And if your visit goes off without a hitch, the feeling will be almost as sweet as watching Messi find the back of the net. —Dave Lieber mar. 11, Dallas Morning News, 11 Mar. 2026

Their conversation would often go off the rails thanks to humous asides and stories. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026

The bomb that was thrown didn’t go off, causing nothing but smoke, but an investigation later revealed it was packed with explosive material as well as metal nuts and bolts inside that could have been deadly if detonated. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 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