1
as in to depart
to leave a place often for another
I can only stay for a few minutes, and then I'll need to take off again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to remove
to rid oneself of (a garment)
take off your coat and stay awhile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to subtract
to take away (an amount or number) from a total
the store will take an additional 20% off if you bring in this coupon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to rob
slang
to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully
a gangbanger who decided to take off some fast-food joint
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in parody
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect
a sitcom that's a takeoff of an old TV show from the 1960s
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 take off
Andy Naylor, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
After securing the ball, Mukuba took off running down the sideline.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Mike Hirschberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This cargo spaceship sets features a retractable vertical takeoff and landing gear, rotating engines, and a self-leveling cockpit when in (play) flight.
—John Mihaly, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take off
Verb
His career took off when former midfielder Edu joined Arsenal’s board, initially as technical director, in 2019.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
After securing the ball, Mukuba took off running down the sideline.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
Congress can maintain American leadership in vertical takeoff and landing aircraft by supporting NASA.
—Mike Hirschberg, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This cargo spaceship sets features a retractable vertical takeoff and landing gear, rotating engines, and a self-leveling cockpit when in (play) flight.
—John Mihaly, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for take off
Verb
-
Then, when Williams departed for the NFL Draft, Nelson would compete to be the starter.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Ten of the league’s 12 schools departed last August, but the conference plans on expanding to nine teams starting next school year.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By removing color, the focus shifts to texture, light, gesture, and gaze — emphasizing the nuances of connection and the multiplicity of what love can look like beyond normative, romanticized ideals.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Social media platforms, including YouTube and X, have begun removing videos of the attack.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Reflect on each category, then add or subtract a dollar figure based on the level of impact your job has on that category—positive or negative.—
Renessa Boley Layne,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The Boys & Girls Club donation counter Bargatze spoke ahead of the show about his effort to keep speeches on time by subtracting from a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club every time someone went over.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
It must also be said that, for all the lamenting of the Netherlands’ failure to win, West Germany — and Muller — were robbed of a clear goal in the second half due to an erroneous offside flag.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
-
An insecure performer robs an audience of its belief in both the character and the entire enterprise.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Blue-collar YouTuber In Southern California, 19-year-old HVAC technician Itzcoatl Aguilar is still on the launch pad.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
14 Sep. 2025
-
In the 1990s, both Kuwait and the UAE bought hundreds of Russian BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and BM-30 Smerch multiple launch rocket systems to augment their respective land forces.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At home, Russia’s wartime economy looks like a parody of Soviet stagnation, exactly what Putin warned against in the early years of his presidency.—
Jeremy Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Comedian John Early’s directorial debut, ostensibly a pastiche of basic-cable TV movies, is not a parody, or a satire, or even a comedy.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Plants can’t move like people do, so they are exposed to the sun all day long, Fuller said.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Both offenses are moving with little resistance thus far.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When bourbon slumped in the 1980s, many distilleries put off repairs to their stills, which caused plenty of problems.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Speedrunners have also found some arcane sequence skips to get around certain bosses or methods for putting off some boss fights until later than the developers intended.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Take off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/take%20off. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share