1
as in exploding
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
as in progressing
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 departing
to leave a place often for another
don't go off without telling us where we can find you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of going off
Prosecutors also played several minutes of surveillance video from the facility, showing fireworks going off along the tree line next to the building.
—
Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
Republicans see these losses as alarms going off.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
Where Dunk’s head is at, going off alone again.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Others, however, took issue with Kimmel’s comments immediately following Kirk’s assassination, and welcomed his show going off the air.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
But Trump’s penchant for going off-script has sometimes taken the focus off cost-of-living issues and his administration’s plans for how to combat it.
—Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Research suggests that going off the drugs earlier than this can increase the odds of relapsing.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Both Peter Thiel and David Sacks packed their bags right at the end of 2025, with the PayPal cofounder heading to Florida and the venture capitalist going off to Texas.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2026
When Dedelow purchased the station with partnership investors in 2004, WJOB was saved from going off the airwaves and likely bankruptcy.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
Republicans see these losses as alarms going off.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026
Where Dunk’s head is at, going off alone again.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Others, however, took issue with Kimmel’s comments immediately following Kirk’s assassination, and welcomed his show going off the air.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
But Trump’s penchant for going off-script has sometimes taken the focus off cost-of-living issues and his administration’s plans for how to combat it.
—Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Research suggests that going off the drugs earlier than this can increase the odds of relapsing.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Both Peter Thiel and David Sacks packed their bags right at the end of 2025, with the PayPal cofounder heading to Florida and the venture capitalist going off to Texas.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 9 Jan. 2026
When Dedelow purchased the station with partnership investors in 2004, WJOB was saved from going off the airwaves and likely bankruptcy.
—Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for going off
Verb
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On February 24, the first night of public access, the system created and distributed some 800,000 alerts, sending out notifications for swooping asteroids, exploding stars, flaring supermassive black holes and other transient celestial events.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
26 Feb. 2026
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The incidents illustrate how prediction markets—which let people bet on real world events from sports and elections to celebrity behavior, and which are exploding in popularity—are also tempting some individuals to make a quick buck from insider information.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Antonia Noori Farzan Providence's snow removal efforts are also progressing slowly because heavy-duty equipment is in short supply, Mayor Brett Smiley said in a video posted on Tuesday.—
Eryn Dion,
The Providence Journal,
24 Feb. 2026
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Dane announced last year that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a rare but swiftly progressing neurodegenerative disease.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The war with Iran continues to cause aviation chaos in the Middle East and beyond as some of the world’s busiest airports attempt to manage the fallout of airspace closures, with only a limited number of flights now departing the region.—
Marnie Hunter,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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Scream 7 got off to a shaky start, with Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin departing due to scheduling conflicts and Barrera getting fired due to social media posts about the Israel-Palestine conflict.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Experts also reported little evidence that Iran is actively resuming its efforts to enrich uranium, let alone building a bomb-detonating mechanism.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
-
There are other photographs of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor taken in dark rooms with a flash detonating straight into his face.—
Christopher Anderson,
Vanity Fair,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Instead, members devoted every waking breath to restoring Sharia and, by doing so, heralding a new era of blind and impartial justice.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
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Eventually, someone or some nation will aggressively stand up to this bully, and the consequences of doing so could be significant for the entire world.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Club does not own any oil stocks and hasn't since exiting Coterra Energy last summer.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
2 Mar. 2026
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Chad Baker-Mazara scored 14 points and blocked two shots for the Trojans (18-11, 7-11) before exiting the game early due to an apparent injury.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Another underestimated hazard is blowing dust.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ferris, who pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings in his second Cactus League start Saturday in the Dodgers’ 7-6 split-squad loss to the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, noticed the contrast going from the Cubs to the Dodgers.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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The debt markets going pencils down is a huge risk to an M&A market that looks poised to rip.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Going off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/going%20off. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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