off
adverb
\
Definition of off
(Entry 1 of 6)
1a(1) : from a place or position march off specifically : away from land ship stood off to sea
(2) : at a distance in space or time stood 10 paces off a long way off
b : from a course : aside turned off into a bypath specifically : away from the wind The ship eased off a point or two.
c : into an unconscious state dozed off
2a : so as to be separated from support rolled to the edge of the table and off or close contact blew the lid off the handle came off
b : so as to be divided surface marked off into squares
3a : to a state of discontinuance or suspension shut off an engine
b —used as an intensifier drink off a glassfinish it off
4 : in absence from or suspension of regular work or service take time off for lunch
5 : offstage The actor turns and goes off.
off
prepositionDefinition of off (Entry 2 of 6)
1a —used as a function word to indicate physical separation or distance from a position of rest, attachment, or union take it off the tablea path off the main walka shop just off the main street
b : to seaward of two miles off shore
2 : from the possession or charge of had his wallet stolen off him
3 —used as a function word to indicate the object of an action borrowed a dollar off himdined off oysters
4a —used as a function word to indicate the suspension of an occupation or activity off dutyoff liquor
b : below the usual standard or level of off his game
off
adjectiveDefinition of off (Entry 3 of 6)
2a : started on the way off on a spree
b : not taking place or staying in effect : canceled the deal was off
c : not operating
d : not placed so as to permit operation
4a : spent off duty reading on his off days
b : marked by a periodic decline in activity or business traveled in the off season for lower prices
5a : off-color
b : inferior off grade of oil also : affected with putrefaction
c : down stocks were off
6 : circumstanced worse off
off
verbDefinition of off (Entry 4 of 6)
: to go away : depart —used chiefly as an imperative Off, or I'll shoot!
off
abbreviationDefinition of off (Entry 5 of 6)
office; officer; official
-off
noun combining formDefinition of -off (Entry 6 of 6)
: competition : contest bake-off
Keep scrolling for more
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
Visit the Thesaurus for More
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
The curbless streets will expand and contract the area open to cars, providing more space to pedestrians during off hours. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Sidewalk Labs’s updated smart city plan aims for ‘people-first public realm’," 30 Nov. 2018 The song, a graceful and sweet kiss-off track, has since become not only a chart-topping hit but a pop culture moment. — Alex Abad-santos, Vox, "Grande has a burn book and masters the bend and snap in her “thank u,next” music video.," 30 Nov. 2018 Strike the right balance by pairing your cutest jeans with an off-the-shoulder tee or a strappy tank—something that's a little more fun than you're go to school look. — Seventeen, "7 Tips to Rock Your First Date!," 30 Oct. 2018 The tree’s lineage is believed to go back to the weeping willow that, as legend goes, Napoleon would sit beneath after the French emperor was exiled in 1815 to the far-off island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "‘It has a story to tell’: How a descendant of Napoleon’s willow tree took root on a Seattle hillside," 30 Oct. 2018 The bride wore a wedding gown by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos, which featured long sleeves and an off-the-shoulder style. — Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, "How Princess Eugenie's Wedding Dress Compares to Kate Middleton's," 12 Oct. 2018 Five struggling swimmers were safely brought to shore at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire by off-duty lifeguards Friday evening, a fire official said. — Alejandro Serrano, BostonGlobe.com, "Off-duty life guards help struggling swimmers to safety at Hampton Beach," 14 July 2018 The team's off-the-field adventures included cycling trips, river rafting, swimming in waterfalls, and exploring caves. — Eddie Pells, The Christian Science Monitor, "Bond between players and coach may have saved Thai boy's lives," 13 July 2018 Yet even the off-the-bench role that Reyes is holding down this final homestand before the All-Star break presents valuable opportunities to grow as a player. — Jeff Sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres' Franmil Reyes savoring teachable moments," 13 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
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. 2017 Of course, there’s a big difference between offing a child standing next to you and saying that people ought to choose not to have that child in the first place. — Alexandra Desanctis, National Review, "Population Control, the Undying Dream of the Left," 13 July 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for off
off
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of off
(Entry 1 of 4)
: away from a place
: away from a main road, path, etc.
: at a distance in time or space
off
prepositionEnglish Language Learners Definition of off (Entry 2 of 4)
—used to indicate separation, distance, or removal from someone or something
: on money, food, energy, etc., supplied by (someone or something)
—used to indicate something that someone is no longer doing or using
off
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of off (Entry 3 of 4)
: not attached to or covering something : not on
: not operating, functioning, or flowing
: in a position that stops the flow of electricity, water, etc.
off
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of off (Entry 4 of 4)
: to kill or murder (someone)
See the full definition for off in the English Language Learners Dictionary
off
adverb
\
Kids Definition of off
(Entry 1 of 4)
1 : from a place or position He got angry and marched off.
2 : from a course : aside The driver turned off onto a side street.
3 : so as not to be supported, covering or enclosing, or attached I jumped off. The lid blew off. The handle fell off.
4 : so as to be discontinued or finished Turn the radio off. The couple paid off their debts.
5 : away from work I took the day off.
off
prepositionKids Definition of off (Entry 2 of 4)
1 : away from the surface or top of Take those books off the table.
2 : at the expense of I lived off my parents.
3 : released or freed from The officer was off duty.
4 : below the usual level of We can save a dollar off the price.
5 : away from The hotel is just off the highway.
off
adjectiveKids Definition of off (Entry 3 of 4)
1 : not operating or flowing The radio is off. The electricity is off.
2 : not attached to or covering The lid is off.
3 : started on the way They're off on a trip.
4 : not taking place The game is off.
5 : not correct : wrong Your guess is way off.
6 : not as good as usual He's having an off day.
7 : provided for His family is well off.
8 : small in degree : slight There's an off chance I'll win.
9 : away from home or work He's off fishing.
off.
abbreviationKids Definition of off.
office
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on off
What made you want to look up off? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Late Autumn 2018 Words of the Day Quiz
-
- Which is a synonym of yahoo?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share off
Resources for off