1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in removing
to rid oneself of (a garment)
take off your coat and stay awhile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
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
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Recent Examples of taking off
Photos released earlier by the command also show MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters taking off from the destroyer USS and the amphibious transport dock USS during a SINKEX as part of Exercise UNITAS 2025 on September 28.
—
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Denver International and Newark Liberty International airports saw ground delays where flights were prohibited from taking off until controllers were able to handle them.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The market is clearly taking off — and fast.
—Chris Dong, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The winter coming home sad, the summer coming home happy, slamming the door during an argument, taking off my shoes and sitting on the floor tired from something.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
The state encounters, which are in addition to what local police are doing, add to the total number of people that ICE is taking off the street and preparing to deport.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2025
Swapping out the old blade for a new one requires opening the two small slider locks and taking off the single handle panel to access the internal hardware.
—New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
On his 32-yard rushing touchdown, Pribula fought hard in the pocket before taking off.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
But Cholewa’s career actually started taking off toward the end of middle school.
—Dave Melton, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Denver International and Newark Liberty International airports saw ground delays where flights were prohibited from taking off until controllers were able to handle them.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025
The market is clearly taking off — and fast.
—Chris Dong, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The winter coming home sad, the summer coming home happy, slamming the door during an argument, taking off my shoes and sitting on the floor tired from something.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
The state encounters, which are in addition to what local police are doing, add to the total number of people that ICE is taking off the street and preparing to deport.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2025
Swapping out the old blade for a new one requires opening the two small slider locks and taking off the single handle panel to access the internal hardware.
—New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
On his 32-yard rushing touchdown, Pribula fought hard in the pocket before taking off.
—Maddie Hartley, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
But Cholewa’s career actually started taking off toward the end of middle school.
—Dave Melton, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking off
Verb
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Ego Nwodim has lined up her first project since departing Saturday Night Live last month.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Oct. 2025
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Before departing the firefighter education center, Kate switched up her outfit, swapping the long jacket for a shorter coat that revealed a brown skirt.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In consultation with Todd Arrington, former Director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, the Protocol Gift Unit opted to purchase a replica of a sword in the Eisenhower collection rather than removing an object from the collection.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
13 Oct. 2025
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Just to his right, Dmitry Simashev was also removing his gear and about to answer questions about the anticipation for his NHL debut Thursday night.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The leap from knots to links is a relatively small one, but mathematicians can extend the ideas of knot theory to study mind-bending concepts such as higher-dimensional knots, surfaces with knotted edges and difficult-to-imagine objects obtained by subtracting a knot from three-dimensional space.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
3 Oct. 2025
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Business inventories also shrank, subtracting over three percentage points from GDP.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Based on a true story, Roofman follows the adventures of an Army veteran and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname Roofman.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement Channing Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a onetime soldier who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for robbing several McDonald’s restaurants, only to escape in 2004 in the hopes of starting a new life.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After exiting Dior in May, the Italian designer on Tuesday was appointed chief creative officer of Fendi.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
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Congestion persists on the Scheldt River entering and exiting the port system, with 60 ships waiting to depart and 128 inbound vessels awaiting berth.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The review added that the ongoing bit about the deducting from a charitable donation for longer speech set a negative tone.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
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Using debt wisely can also offer tax advantages, such as deducting mortgage interest from taxable income.—
Gabriel Shahin,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If trapped by moving water, seek the highest possible point and contact emergency services by calling 911.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Oct. 2025
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Players are moving around, not pointing fingers at others and are taking accountability.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This helps the shoe absorb impact, pushing off energy back towards you and putting off foot fatigue.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Oct. 2025
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While automakers are putting off and/or cancelling vehicles that only run on electrons, given high development costs and a weak market, Subaru is confident in the direction it is headed.—
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taking off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20off. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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