go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1
a
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.
Phrases
go off the deep end
1
: to enter recklessly on a course
2
: to become very much excited
go off with
1
: to leave a spouse, partner, etc. for (someone else)
2
: to take (something that belongs to someone else) away : steal

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Klay Thompson goes off in OKC With the Warriors facing elimination in Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference finals, Klay Thompson went supernova to force a Game 7. The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025 So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong. Zac Ntim, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025 During his set, Stewart joked about blaming everything that goes wrong, including a phone going off in the crowd, on the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor and mocked residents who vowed to move out of the city if the Democrat won. Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025 After that, everyone would go off and start their days. Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for go off

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of go off was in 1560

Cite this Entry

“Go off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/go%20off. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

go off

verb
1
2
: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily
3
: to take place : proceed
the dance went off as planned

More from Merriam-Webster on go off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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