go off

Definition of go offnext
1
as in to explode
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of go off An air raid alert went off as Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the site of a drone attack on the National Academy of Sciences last week. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026 Costello did make it onto the final episode of the show, which went off the air earlier this year. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026 But the careful choreography of the day almost immediately went off track. — Shaila Dewan, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 This time the message went off-roading, traveling through the animal’s tissue as a faint electrical pulse and switching on an implant that jolted a nerve in that leg. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for go off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for go off
Verb
  • The story effectively went viral, Churchill told me, and lock-picking competitions briefly exploded in popularity.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Shares exploded higher by as much as 211% but retreated from those peaks and are starting to form an interesting baseline.
    — Jay Woods, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Detecting adenocarcinomas early can help keep them from progressing to advanced disease.
    — Alice Park, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Sepesi said one of the biggest challenges with lung cancer is that symptoms often do not appear until the disease has progressed.
    — Tori Mason, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Founders and designers Dean and Dan Caten had been leading the company since the exit in February 2024 of general manager Ennio Fontana, who departed after less than a year in the role.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (back) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (quad) were also present at practice after departing in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to the Buccaneers.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Forever Home FilmNation Entertainment, the Mediapro Studio A corpse beneath an idyllic home detonates this domestic thriller adapted from Graham Norton’s bestseller.
    — Emiliano de Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In one of the recent demonstrations in the town of Lens on Monday, a 15-year-old had picked up a police dispersal grenade that detonated, losing his hand and part of his lower arm, officials said.
    — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The makeup is top-tier, the Aaliyah swoop bang is swooping, and the jewelry accents stand out without doing too much, which is usually her weak spot.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When the boy’s body turns up by a river, the wives’ sisterhood is split between doing what feels right and following their husband’s wishes and Islamic tradition.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Alme will still likely win based on the latest polling, but the margin could have been closer if Bankhead exited the race.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Yamamoto exited after giving up three runs and four hits in the shortest start of his career.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Mahomes’ rapid recovery from last year’s ACL/LCL catastrophe is great news for Kansas City fans and the NFL’s TV/streaming partners, as he and the Chiefs are slated to pop up in as many as 12 national windows before the playoffs arrive.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • K-pop has historically been an industry that holds idols — the name given to pop stars in the Korean entertainment industry — to an extremely high standard.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Nevertheless, based on paleomagnetism, scientists had concluded that true polar wander had been negligible, or slow to proceed, in the distant past.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Kon called on the government to disarm civilians, questioning how elections could proceed amid such insecurity.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Go off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/go%20off. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!