off

adverb

\ ˈȯf

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

preposition

Definition 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

adjective

Definition of off (Entry 3 of 6)

1a : seaward

b : right

c : more removed or distant the off side of the building

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

3a : not corresponding to fact : incorrect off in his reckoning

b : poor, subnormal

c : not entirely sane : eccentric

d : remote, slight an off chance

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

verb

offed; offing; offs

Definition of off (Entry 4 of 6)

intransitive verb

: to go away : depart —used chiefly as an imperative Off, or I'll shoot!

transitive verb

slang : kill, murder

off

abbreviation

Definition of off (Entry 5 of 6)

office; officer; official

-off

noun combining form

\ ˌȯf\

Definition of -off (Entry 6 of 6)

: competition : contest bake-off

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about off

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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. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Everyday Classicists Never an off-day in sight, these duos mastered the art of everyday style with outfits that are always polished and never too trendy. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "The Fashion-Forward Couples Who Dominated 2018," 29 Nov. 2018 Never one to disappoint with her off-duty style, Jenner rocked a printed turtleneck, light wash jeans, pointed cowboy boots, and a sweeping FRAME for FWRD black leather coat for the outing. — Isabel Greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Kendall Jenner Stopped at McDonald's After the British Fashion Awards," 11 Dec. 2018 He was identified as 33-year-old Jesse R. Reyes, after an off-duty police officer arrested him without a struggle. — Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, "71-year-old man killed, two others injured in ‘random’ attacks in Bellingham," 8 Oct. 2018 Then an off-duty detective who knew an IRS agent assigned to Hong Kong asked the agent to assist in freezing the account that the scammer was using to accept the wire transfer, the statement said. — Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Cambridge police detectives help prevent woman from being scammed out of nearly $95,000," 22 June 2018 Betts battled Ohtani for seven pitches until the homer, laying off his off-speed pitches, and forcing him to throw fastballs. — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, "Shohei Ohtani's Angels tenure faces its first real taste of adversity vs. Red Sox," 18 Apr. 2018 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

Recent 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 2017

These 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.