get off

verb

got off; got off or gotten off; getting off; gets off

intransitive verb

1

: to avoid the most serious consequences of a dangerous situation or punishment

got off with a light sentence

2

: start, leave

got off on the trip early

3

: to leave work with permission or as scheduled

4

: to get high on a drug

5

: to experience orgasm

6

: to experience great pleasure

—often used with on

transitive verb

1

: to secure the release of or procure a modified penalty for

his lawyers got him off

2

a

: utter

get off a joke

b

: to write and send

3

: to succeed in doing, making, or delivering

4

: to cause to get off

Synonyms

• bail
• bail out
• begone
• book [slang]
• bug off
• bug out
• bugger off [British slang]
• buzz (off)
• clear off [chiefly British]
• clear out
• cut out
• depart
• dig out
• exit
• get
• go
• go off
• move
• pack (up or off)
• part
• peel off
• pike (out or off)
• pull out
• push off
• push on
• quit
• run along
• sally (forth)
• scarper [British]
• shove (off)
• step (along)
• take off
• vamoose
• walk out

Examples of get off in a Sentence

told him to get off for home before it got dark

breakfast helps you get off to a good start in the morning

Recent Examples on the Web

The review panel concluded the project almost certainly could not get off the ground before 2030 and could cost between $8.4 billion and $10.9 billion depending on the final mission architecture. —William Harwood, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024

Police don’t enforce the camping ban at night, so many people try to get off the sidewalk by daybreak. —Calmatters, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

Its major release in June 2023—Diablo IV, which got off to a hot start internationally—hasn’t been officially available in China. —Sabrina Mao, Fortune Asia, 10 Apr. 2024

The new millennium also got off to a sparkly start, as stars including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Shakira enhanced their natural shine with roll-on body glitter, among other highly reflective cosmetics. —Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

And the movie got off to a smashing start overseas, where both Godzilla and King Kong have traditionally drawn crowds. —J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024

And maybe our sky-high expectations don’t take into account the idea that players do slump, and do get off to slow starts. —Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 4 Apr. 2024

While the fund is still fairly new and backs dozens of projects, including the world’s first major green steel plant, some of them — especially in the manufacturing and hydrogen sectors — have struggled to get off the ground. —John Ainger, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024

But that was one of only two shots the Panthers got off on the night and the only one on goal. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

get off

verb

1

: set out sense 2

got off on their camping trip

2

: to escape or help to escape punishment or harm