TAKING OFF Synonyms: 203 Similar and Opposite Words

taking off

verb

present participle of take off

as in departing

to leave a place often for another I can only stay for a few minutes, and then I'll need to take off again

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in removing

to rid oneself of (a garment) take off your coat and stay awhile

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in subtracting

to take away (an amount or number) from a total the store will take an additional 20% off if you bring in this coupon

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in robbing

slang to remove valuables from (a place) unlawfully a gangbanger who decided to take off some fast-food joint

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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 taking off Ovitz asked, before taking off his microphone and storming out. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 The plane, a Van's RV-7A, crashed shortly after taking off from Petaluma Municipal Airport in Sonoma County, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Fox News Digital. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 after taking off from Dubai, UAE, with 182 people including eight crew members flying to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday. — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 About two hours after taking off, the aircraft began quickly losing altitude and turned sharply to the north, flight tracking data showed. — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026 Why the trend is taking off now Two forces are pushing workstation sinks into more kitchens. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026 Roberts initially began experiencing pain in his right hip and wound up taking off about a month from November to December. — Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 Helicopters are no longer the only aircraft capable of taking off vertically. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026 The glossy finish is subtle, sophisticated, and exactly why the trend is taking off. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking off

Verb

Uganda’s health ministry said the man spent fewer than 24 hours in the country and had a normal temperature when screened before departing Entebbe International Airport, near Kampala.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
After 10 years at the helm of Saint Laurent, creative director Anthony Vaccarello is departing the house.

— Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of departing

Verb

About 50 employees signed off on an email to leadership expressing concerns and providing suggestions, such as evaluating clutter and removing items like pillows that are hotspots for the insects.

— Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
The Robin offers a little more structure and can even be transformed into a clutch by removing the adjustable strap.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

Because time is finite, adding one thing means subtracting another.

— Melody Wilding, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Back in the early spring, the idea of subtracting a durable 33-game starter (and a former second-round pick) from a defensive line that seemed to be an area of major concern for the Bears would have been unthinkable.

— Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of subtracting

Verb

Around the same time, legacy media began its slow decline, robbing magazines and TV shows of much of their PR powers.

— Brian Raftery, Vanity Fair, 6 Oct. 2026
He is accused of robbing and killing Anna Yagi, 39, who was found at a hotel in Naha on Saturday morning.

— Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of robbing

Verb

Elsewhere in the makeup category, after exiting most of its department store distribution and launching on social, de La Faverie said that Bobbi Brown is finally gaining market share.

— Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Crude oil exiting the Strait of Hormuz averaged about 10 million barrels per day over the past week, despite a rising number of attacks on tankers.

— Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of exiting

Verb

That’s after excluding wealth from the top 1% of households, subtracting debts and other liabilities, and deducting retirement spending, charitable donations, taxes, and fees.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
AskAnyModel also supports unlimited image generation across compatible models without deducting premium credits.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of deducting

Verb

Earlier that day, at a different campaign event about 90 miles east in Canfield, a man carrying two handguns, brass knuckles, and a Taser had barreled toward Acton while yelling her name, knocking over an elderly couple in the crowd.

— Sarah Todd, STAT, 22 Sep. 2026
Even the odd chance to counter-attack went badly wrong — summed up by the sight of Ouattara almost knocking over team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard with a wayward pass.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026