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

• 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

Lawrence threw a long pass that went off the hands of Jaguars receiver Tim Patrick, then deflected off Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2025

The alarm bells went off when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has rebranded himself the Secretary of War, came for the military lawyers months ago. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Avoid touching the sides or the buzzer will go off! —Nora Colomer May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025

The couple spent a whirlwind few weeks together before Stiller went off to shoot a new project in New York. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 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