goes off

present tense third-person singular of go off
1
as in explodes
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 goes off The heavy use of VAR has also interrupted the flow of games by halting matches that weren’t meant to be halted, leaving everyone standing on the field while the referee goes off to watch TV, sometimes for minutes at a time. Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026 Even when Romanzy goes off on how stupid and ugly Caleb is — and gossips that his parents abandoned him because something must be wrong with him — Mary goes along with it. Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026 Keep a reusable water bottle by your bed or coffee maker as a reminder to hydrate after your alarm goes off. Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 19 June 2026 When the share price goes off, falls off the cliff. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026 In a split second, Lou (Malcolm May) shoves the would-be shooter, whose gun accidentally goes off, but the bullets go in a different direction. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 12 June 2026 Starling Marte goes off the batter's eye for his first Royals homer! Kansas City Star, 7 June 2026 This is where this game finally goes off the Weird and Wild rails. Jayson Stark, New York Times, 5 June 2026 Din removes his helmet to say goodbye to Grogu, and the child goes off with Luke to train as a Jedi. Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for goes off
Verb
  • Instead, as Laura bugs her sister long enough about just forgiving her already, Mary explodes.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
  • New Glenn explodes on launch pad in Florida The news comes about a month after the New Glenn rocket exploded in Florida, dealing severe damage to the surrounding infrastructure in Cape Canaveral.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Knight indicated that the village will also be looking for grant funding as the project progresses, including funding from the MWRD.
    Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
  • As the day progresses, Mercury retrograde will meet with Mars in a semi-square, increasing nervous tension and impatience in communication.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • How do friendships survive when one person in the group fundamentally changes—or exits the dynamic entirely?
    Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Another challenge is living with the driveline — a specialized cable that exits his abdomen.
    Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • If the ammunition detonates after penetration, the explosion is directed away from the crew compartment, significantly improving the crew’s chances of survival.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026
  • After the pass comes to Bridges, who detonates passersby at the basket regularly, White goes straight up, though with a little more oomph than usual.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Over 35 years, my job has been to think one or two steps ahead of the market, or at least understand the risk before the crowd does.
    Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • For Unalus, the uncertainty facing families weighs heavily, but so does hope.
    Reginald David, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2026
Verb
  • While the flagship departs, French mine countermeasure and escort vessels will remain in the region.
    Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • The cruise, which departs from Greece on July 5, was expected to dock in the Turkish port town of Kuşadası two days later, followed by a trip to Istanbul, according to Atlantis Events, which is organizing the voyage.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • Bennett pops up from his table the instant his last interview ends.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
  • For whatever reason, the Sheldon Creed incident at Martinsville (in 2023) pops right into my head.
    Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • The new film has a 71% on RT which puts it in the middle of the pack as far as this film franchise goes.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 12 July 2026
  • This means that a growing proportion of workers’ salaries goes towards supporting retirees to keep the current pension system going.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Goes off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goes%20off. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster