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 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 Scooter already has three children and Sydney’s career is still taking off in a major way. — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026 Flights are typically halted from the nearby airport when the president is taking off. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking off

Verb

Thanksgiving The most expensive and popular day when departing for the holiday is Wednesday.

— Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
On the heels of Steven Kolb departing the Council of Fashion Designers of America, CFDA vice chair Aurora James and her nonprofit, the Fifteen Percent Pledge, have been sued for fraud.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of departing

Verb

However, the debate in Europe is not about completely removing the EU AI Act.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2026
In recent weeks, SOUTHCOM has also released several videos showing military personnel intercepting and boarding vessels allegedly involved in narco-trafficking before removing their crews and sinking the boats.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 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

Three armed men went on a stickup spree in Central Park Thursday night, robbing six people of their cell phones at gunpoint in four separate muggings, cops said.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
They are finally revealed as the head-lamps of a gang of thieves, robbing a church, caught closer up, their faces occasionally emerging from the gloom.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of robbing

Verb

Sally Habbershaw is exiting Mediawan after less than a year to become President of Global Distribution at the BBC’s commercial arm.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Sharon Levy is exiting Banijay’s Endemol Shine North America after nearly a decade at the company — including most recently as CEO.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of exiting

Verb

Stop putting off that next step for your side hustle and find the perfect person to take your business to the next level.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026
Poppe said the company was putting off $2 billion in work — not for wildfire mitigation or safety, but for housing developments, renewable energy projects and other efforts.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of putting off

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