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
One person is dead Wednesday morning after a chain of events involving a crash and an assault, and ending with the victim being run over by an off-duty police officer. — Ivana Hrynkiw | Ihrynkiw@al.com, al.com, "Man dead after carjacking; later run over by off-duty Birmingham officer," 19 June 2019 The man suspected of running a red light early Tuesday morning and causing the crash that killed an off-duty Milwaukee police officer has been booked on a preliminary charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. — Keith Schubert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Suspect in crash that killed police officer had 4 OWIs, was recently cited for speeding in same area," 19 June 2019 Police have said the victim, identified by the Corona Police Department as 32-year-old Kenneth French, of Riverside, assaulted an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer in an unprovoked attack before the shooting. — Hollie Silverman, CNN, "Man who police say was killed after attacking an off-duty officer in Costco was a 'gentle giant,' cousin says," 17 June 2019 The off-duty officer suffered minor injuries and was treated and released. — Josh Cain, The Mercury News, "Parents in Southern California Costco shooting still in critical condition; LAPD officer is on desk duty," 17 June 2019 Officers were told the people involved in the fight had been separated, and one of them was an off-duty police officer, the release said. — Mike Cruz, azcentral, "Off-duty Globe police officer placed on leave after bar fight," 15 June 2019 The wounded included an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who was treated for minor injuries and released from a hospital, Los Angeles Police officer Greg Kraft said Saturday. — Author: Lydia Mulvany, Josh Petri, Anchorage Daily News, "Terror, chaos inside California Costco amid deadly shooting," 15 June 2019 Police report that an off-duty police officer was inside Menta Academy providing security during the shooting and assisted in a lockdown protocol. — News-sun Staff, Lake County News-Sun, "Two arrested after shooting outside Waukegan school," 11 June 2019 According to ABC News, Florida troopers said an off-duty Virginia state trooper witnessed the lightning strike and aftermath from afar. — Eric Todisco, PEOPLE.com, "Motorcyclist Hit by Lightning in Florida Crashes and Dies," 10 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Now, this isn’t the first time that a series has offed its primary protagonist. — Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, ""The Magicians" Finale Just Pulled Off Its Most Heart-wrenching Risk Yet," 18 Apr. 2019 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. 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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