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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to progress
to move forward along a course
the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to depart
to leave a place often for another
don't go off without telling us where we can find you
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of go off
The report said the 12 additional fireballs went off as planned after the outsized explosion.
—
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported that the Woodrow Wilson High School students were playing with a gun when the firearm went off, killing the soccer player.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
The Folsom Fire Department said the car went off the roadway, struck the station platform, and hit a bystander who was waiting for a train.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Madilyn and Winne, who had accompanied her to the stock show, watched Thunder disappear and go off to an unknown destination.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go off
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026
Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported that the Woodrow Wilson High School students were playing with a gun when the firearm went off, killing the soccer player.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
The Folsom Fire Department said the car went off the roadway, struck the station platform, and hit a bystander who was waiting for a train.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
Madilyn and Winne, who had accompanied her to the stock show, watched Thunder disappear and go off to an unknown destination.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for go off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for go off
Verb
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It's now been 40 years since New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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Just more than a minute after ignition, the ruptured booster caused the shuttle’s giant external fuel tank to explode, tearing the vehicle to pieces over the ocean and dooming all seven astronauts.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Player Projects require Raiders to go out into the various maps and find loot, which must then be committed in order to progress and earn rewards.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Have things progressed to the point of having regular kombucha or kvass infusions?—
Alyssa Brandt,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton has also departed the team for the same position with the Tennessee Titans.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Jan. 2026
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Also new were the designer’s first jersey pieces, with draping departing from the rear and enclosing the shoulders, open on the midriff and sculpted around the hips.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Gemma then detonates the device.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
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On Unknown Pleasures, the producer had taken Joy Division’s dense goth-punk sound into a frozen field and detonated it.—
Brad Shoup,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Coming from both the Sun and also omnidirectionally from elsewhere across the Universe, these cosmic rays all behaved the same way normal particles do on Earth, except were at significantly greater energies.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Jan. 2026
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Some of Thursday’s decline was related to Wall Street not being happy with how much the company was spending on investments for the future (capital expenditures), and the cloud business Azure may not have done as well as some hoped.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The team held a moment of silence for Good, 37, who was killed while operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The Private Equity Playbook — Adam Coffey An operator’s guide to scaling, acquiring, and exiting businesses based on extensive private equity experience.—
Jennifer J. Fondrevay,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sparkling Orange Nº1, a low-intervention, organic orange (orange colored due to skin contact, no oranges used) bubbly from Alsace that pops with orange peel and juicy peach, then drifts into jasmine, herbs, and gentle spice.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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To understand what makes its eye-popping asking price fair, though, greater attention to the details must be paid.—
Demetrius Simms,
Robb Report,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead, the reaction proceeds through a cascade of events.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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In it, Oldham costumes up as a shaggy woodland monster, which—after a more nimble inhabitant seemingly swaps into the outfit—proceeds to engage a human in an elaborate dance routine.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Go off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/go%20off. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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