go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1

a

: explode

b

of a gun : shoot sense 1

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to go forth, out, or away : leave

went off to join the army

4

: to undergo decline or deterioration

5

: to follow the expected or desired course : proceed

The party went off well.

6

: to make a characteristic noise : sound

could hear the alarm going off

7

: to stop working

All the lights suddenly went off.

see also:

go off the deep end go off with

Synonyms of go off

• explode
• detonate
• pop
• blow
• burst

Examples of go off in a Sentence

specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch

Recent Examples on the Web

As sirens went off over Riyadh and the Eastern Province, people in the Hejaz assumed no one would dare approach what all Muslims deem sacred. — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

The truck braked and hit the sedan, and both vehicles went off the road, with the truck hitting a telephone pole, troopers said. — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Nabers went off for 167 receiving yards and two touchdowns in last September’s 40-37 overtime banger. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The minivan went off the freeway, through a fence and onto Longview Drive before hitting a tree, CHP online dispatch records show. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for go off

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

Kids Definition

go off

verb

1

: explode sense 2b

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to take place : proceed

the dance went off as planned