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

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 taking off 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 Araki, like directors Richard Linklater and Todd Haynes, then began a long relationship with the Sundance Film Festival right when the indie boom of the ’90s was taking off. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 As food costs and supply chain disruptions caused prices at grocery stores to soar, the number of backyard growers and micro-farmers is rapidly taking off across the state. — Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026 The recruiting process is taking off for Benet star Edvardas Stasys. — Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026 Olympic gold medalist Arisa Trew secured her second winning result of the weekend with a switch McTwist — a 540-degree twist taking off from her opposite side while grabbing the middle of the board — during women’s vert best trick, which featured a field of athletes averaging only 16 1/2 years old. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 28 June 2026 During that time, the suspects took the woman's bracelet off her wrist without her knowing before taking off, according to police. — Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 20 June 2026 For example, Dublin Airport (DUB) and Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL) both have United States pre-clearance facilities, where a traveler goes through the necessary visit with a CBP officer before taking off. — Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking off

Verb

Mohamed Salah has left, departing Liverpool after nine years at Anfield.

— Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Before departing for recess, the Senate is expected to take up acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to permanently lead the Department of Justice.

— Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of departing

Verb

Despite the use of search dogs and removing slabs of concrete, police came up empty.

— Eileen Murphy, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
The order prevents anyone from withholding or obstructing necessary treatment or removing, discharging, or transferring the child while the court considers the case.

— Briseida Holguin, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of removing

Verb

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

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
Days later, the contract was amended with one change, subtracting a single dollar, dropping it to $249,999 — one dollar below the threshold requiring City Council approval.

— Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of subtracting

Verb

Amanda Hernandez, the wife of one of the men who posed as a DTE utility worker and was convicted of robbing and killing a Rochester Hills businessman in 2024, was sentenced on Wednesday for her role in the crime.

— Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Thieves have long used a variety of methods — tapping into ducts, hijacking tanker trucks or robbing directly from facilities of Petroleos Mexicanos, the state energy company known as Pemex.

— Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of robbing

Verb

Ranju Das, the athleisure giant’s first-ever chief AI and technology officer, is exiting after less than a year on the job, Bloomberg reports.

— Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
Some of those exiting patrons made their way to hotels that saw a 25% revenue bump between the World Cup and Sail Boston.

— Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of exiting

Verb

Hundreds of military bases have been putting off cleanup of toxic PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, for years, according to a new USA TODAY analysis of military records.

— Austin Fast, USA Today, 26 July 2026
Home Depot and Lowe’s both told investors this year that homeowners are putting off larger home improvement projects – those often associated with fixer-upper homes.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 July 2026

Definition of putting off

Verb

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

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
The reduction may not lower monthly payments for many borrowers, and a major risk involves servicers deducting incorrect payment amounts, which can be difficult to reverse.

— Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of deducting

Verb

Getting two mouflon proved no more difficult than knocking over the aoudad; both were one-shot kills.

— Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 July 2026
One Sunday, Henrichsen assaulted an elderly couple walking along a road, knocking over an 80-year-old man and striking his wife, according to a memo compiled by the neighborhood homeowner’s association.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026