tee off

verb

teed off; teeing off; tees off

intransitive verb

1

: to drive from a tee

2

: begin, start

3

: to hit hard

4

: to make an angry denunciation

—often used with on

Examples of tee off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Imanaga ran his scoreless streak to 16 innings and retired the first 11 hitters Friday before Rosario teed off a center-cut sweeper. — CBS News, 31 July 2026

Getty Images The PGA TOUR Champions tees off in Vilamoura, Portugal, at The Els Club this week, marking the first time the tour has visited the country. — Tim Corlett, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

At other tournaments, players who tee off late in the afternoon sometimes end up scrambling to find a dinner spot. — Anya Armentrout, Twin Cities, 25 July 2026

The golfers were teeing off on the 12th hole when the bear made its appearance. — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tee off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff

Kids Definition

tee off

verb

1

: to hit a golf ball from a tee in starting play on a hole

2

: begin sense 1, start