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

Last month, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope pinpointed the host galaxy of the most distant FRB yet, one that went off when the universe was only about 3 billion years old. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Nacua went off in the Rams’ Week 9 matchup against the Commanders, catching 14 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2026

Set against the glamour and mayhem of Miami Swim Week, Miami PI follows a wayward private investigator whose life has gone off course and a combustible former model caught up in a murder case. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2026

The Irish handed out wristbands to fans before the game that went off in sync to a light show. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 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