off
adverb
\
Definition of off
(Entry 1 of 6)
off
prepositionDefinition of off (Entry 2 of 6)
off
adjectiveDefinition of off (Entry 3 of 6)
off
verbDefinition of off (Entry 4 of 6)
off
abbreviationDefinition of off (Entry 5 of 6)
-off
noun combining formDefinition of -off (Entry 6 of 6)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for off
Synonyms: Adverb
Synonyms: Adjective
bad, bastard, bush, bush-league, crummy (also crumby), deficient, dissatisfactory, ill, inferior, lame, lousy, paltry, poor, punk, sour, suboptimal, subpar, substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, wack [slang], wanting, wretched, wrong
Synonyms: Verb
assassinate, bump off, croak [slang], dispatch, do in, execute, get, ice [slang], knock off, liquidate, murder, neutralize, put away, rub out, slay, snuff, take out, terminate, whack [slang]
Antonyms: Adjective
acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, fine, OK (or okay), passable, respectable, satisfactory, standard, tolerable
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Examples of off in a Sentence
Adverb
She put on her jacket and off she went. The car turned off onto a side street.Preposition
She is still living off her parents. The family lives off welfare. They live off the land. They make their living off tourism.Adjective
The lever is in the off position. He is off playing golf. She is off on a trip.Verb
The movie is about a gangster who gets power by offing his rivals. the hit man bragged that he'd offed at least three people in the last year alone
Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Then cap the night off back in Midtown with seasonal craft cocktails at the wonderfully dark, moody, and very delicious Death and Taxes. — Heather Platt, Los Angeles Magazine, "Reno: It’s Not Just The Place You Ignore While Skiing in Tahoe Anymore," 28 Aug. 2017 Even coming off the biggest win of his career—the Cincy title— — SI.com, "2017 U.S. Open Men's Seed Reports," 26 Aug. 2017 Family and friends filled a hangar at the Illinois Army National Guard's Peoria aviation facility to send off 40 soldiers, including Specialist Dylan Ingersoll of Batavia, who are slated to spend the next several months in Afghanistan. — Andy Kravetz, Aurora Beacon-News, "National Guard unit ready for stint in Afghanistan," 25 Aug. 2017 The combination of Tannehill not being all that great and replacement Jay Cutler being good enough means Miami has not fallen off much at the most important position. — Greg Cote, miamiherald, "Dolphins’ Double-J offense will be enough to overcome shortcomings on D," 25 Aug. 2017 First off, Squidward is a total Krusty Krab traitor and Plankton actually looks like a villain. — Stacey Grant, Seventeen, "This "SpongeBob SquarePants" Anime Opening Is Low-Key Nightmare Fuel," 24 Aug. 2017 Headaches are pretty awful at any time, but getting one in the A.M. is a sure-fire way to get your day off to crappy start. — Korin Miller, SELF, "6 Causes of Morning Headaches," 24 Aug. 2017 A flight dispatcher’s job isn’t done when the plane takes off. — Allison Hope, CNT, "This Person Is More in Control of Your Flight Than the Pilot," 24 Aug. 2017 If Elsevier cuts off access again, German researchers who want to read articles from Elsevier journals, among them Cell, The Lancet, and Physics Reports, will have to resort to measures such as interlibrary loans—or go to pirate sites like SciHub. — Gretchen Vogel, Science | AAAS, "A bold open-access push in Germany could change the future of academic publishing," 23 Aug. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Game of Thrones may be coming to an end this year, but the off-screen friendship of Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams will definitely live on. — De Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Maisie Williams Jokes About "Game of Thrones" and Friendship With Sophie Turner," 7 Apr. 2019 One of the joys of being a sound designer is creating an off-screen world, and the trash monster is a great example. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Real World Stuff Behind Star Wars' Iconic Sounds," 3 Apr. 2019 The wide, stretchy strap makes for easy-on, easy-off access (just another perk for parents who might enjoy laying in a cute float with their kids in the pool instead of helping a crying child put on their goggles outside the pool). — Shanon Maglente, Good Housekeeping, "These Goggles Won't Pull Your Hair — and They are Selling Out FAST," 20 Mar. 2019 That said, face oils aren’t totally off limits to people with oily or acne-prone skin, Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, tells SELF. — Jenn Sinrich, SELF, "What You Should Know Before Using a Trendy New Face Oil," 13 Mar. 2019 Further Reading Recycling in the US: An off-again, on-again love affair That pushes the problem of separating out pure materials to the recycling center itself. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Bikes, bowling balls, and the delicate balancing act that is modern recycling," 31 Dec. 2018 Throw in an off-season of 2½ months – compared to six weeks the past two years – and the Sounders may head in to 2019 as the odds-on favorite for the Supporters’ Shield. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey prepares for longer offseason after fans sign off on retaining him," 13 Nov. 2018 There’s the off-camera rape of Fergus (again by Randall) at a brothel in Paris. — Wendy Naugle, Glamour, "What Outlander Finally Gets Right About Rape This Season," 7 Jan. 2019 The show introduced new drinking and consent policies and used the off-camera developments, which became a national news story, as a teaching moment that aired when the show returned. — Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Bachelor' Franchise Controversies: A Timeline of Bad Behavior and Scandal," 18 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The two actors had a tryst offscreen yet never on, though the characters’ passion for one another was palpable even in old age during The Force Awakens — before Han was offed by his kid Kylo Ren. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "We've got a good feeling about this: It's time for 'Star Wars' to have a sex scene," 30 May 2018 Here, six writers remind us of the ephemera many of us will miss when smartphones inevitably make wallets obsolete—and a few of the worthy trade-offs our devices bring. — Matthew Kitchen, WSJ, "Will the Smartphone Ever Truly Replace Your Beloved Wallet?," 2 Aug. 2018 Might Laurie finally succeed in offing the boogeyman? — refinery29.com, "The Halloween Trailer Contains No Treats, Only Terror," 8 June 2018 Unfortunately, what most people didn't expect was for sweet, Halloween-loving Bob to be offed by the Demogorgon before the season was out. — refinery29.com, "You Won't Believe Where These Dead Stranger Things Characters Are Now," 25 May 2018 In just its first week Infinity War has also already birthed an assortment of memes, as well as a fun website that reveals whether Thanos would have offed or spared you in his campaign to destroy half of all life in the universe. — Emma Stefansky, HWD, "Avengers: Infinity War Has Already Made $1 Billion," 5 May 2018 She was supposed to be off by 4 p.m., but most of her kids didn’t leave until 5:30, and the teacher who was scheduled to stay late was among those who were out. — Jeneen Interlandi, New York Times, "Why Are Our Most Important Teachers Paid the Least?," 9 Jan. 2018 By offing him in this manner, the movie can continue, without worrying about adding to its already lengthy ~150-minute run time. — Graeme Mcmillan, The Hollywood Reporter, "Did 'The Last Jedi' Treat Its Villains Right?," 17 Dec. 2017 Her red oak is old, wise and optimistic; home to many; observer and occasional agent; historian and storyteller with humans usually off limits. — Susan Faust, San Francisco Chronicle, "Roundup of new children’s books," 27 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'off.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for off
off
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of off
(Entry 1 of 4)
off
prepositionEnglish Language Learners Definition of off (Entry 2 of 4)
off
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of off (Entry 3 of 4)
off
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of off (Entry 4 of 4)
See the full definition for off in the English Language Learners Dictionary
off
adverb
\
Kids Definition of off
(Entry 1 of 4)
off
prepositionKids Definition of off (Entry 2 of 4)
off
adjectiveKids Definition of off (Entry 3 of 4)
off.
abbreviationKids Definition of off.
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