1
as in departed
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 removed
to rid oneself of (a garment)
take off your coat and stay awhile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deducted
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 robbed
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 took off
There’s Amber Glenn, a 26-year-old powerhouse and LGBTQ+ rights activist whose career took off just when most figure skaters are contemplating retirement.
—
Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
The suspect vehicle eventually became disabled and the four suspects took off running, police said.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Yet Calvi never really took off as a package holiday destination.
—Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2026
The flight took off from California and flew to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
On the gaming side of things, the bloody clash of extra-terrestrials also took off quickly, with Capcom and Rebellion leading with side-scrolling and first-person action games.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Students from Boyle Heights’ Bravo High spilled out into TreePeople, a nature reserve and nonprofit in Coldwater Canyon Park, and took off hiking.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
According to Ventura, an individual on the motorcycle immediately took off quickly.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
The rapper later reflected on having her first child before her career took off in an interview with Vogue Singapore.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
The suspect vehicle eventually became disabled and the four suspects took off running, police said.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Yet Calvi never really took off as a package holiday destination.
—Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2026
The flight took off from California and flew to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026
On the gaming side of things, the bloody clash of extra-terrestrials also took off quickly, with Capcom and Rebellion leading with side-scrolling and first-person action games.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 15 Feb. 2026
Students from Boyle Heights’ Bravo High spilled out into TreePeople, a nature reserve and nonprofit in Coldwater Canyon Park, and took off hiking.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
According to Ventura, an individual on the motorcycle immediately took off quickly.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
The rapper later reflected on having her first child before her career took off in an interview with Vogue Singapore.
—Emma Banks, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took off
Verb
-
Crew-11 departed a month earlier than planned due to a medical issue with one of its astronauts, leaving the ISS with a skeleton crew for longer than anticipated.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The mission replaces the crew from NASA's Crew-11 mission, which departed the ISS a month ahead of schedule in January due to a medical evacuation of one of the crew members.—
Lydia Calitri,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kamara was removed from the post late last year, accused by the environment minister of failing to address the encroachment.—
ED DAVEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Duplicates in which the same defendants had separate cases before a magistrate judge and a district judge were removed.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In 2018, Google’s YouTube started offering Channel Memberships, where creators receive 70% of membership revenue after taxes and fees are deducted, with transaction costs covered by the company.—
Zach Vallese,
CNBC,
17 Feb. 2026
-
He was deducted 72 points for mistakes, including multiple falls.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The two suspects robbed the victim at gunpoint before fleeing the home, according to police.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Federal officials said Wright and others robbed at least five victims in Windsor and Bloomfield between July and November 2020.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The right-hander exited after five innings, allowing four runs and seven hits, striking out six and walking one on 91 pitches.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The passenger exited the vehicle and went inside the residence to retrieve some clothes, the witness said, while Wimbley stayed in the vehicle.—
Steven Mross,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Administrators report that many students are now afraid of having sociology classes on their transcripts, as this may put off potential employers.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
This unique point of view has won plaudits from those watching NBC‘s broadcast, even though a few fans have been put off by the trackers’ incessant zipping noise.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2025, 65% of the amount of Social Security benefits received and included in federal AGI may be subtracted.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
-
In 2025, the BLS subtracted almost 600,000 jobs from the 2024 total employment gain.—
Sylvan Lane,
The Hill,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Accepting the award, Yeoh moved the audience with an emotional speech reflecting on her career.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Mission was moved from United Launch Alliance to speed up launch (ULA gets a future launch in exchange).—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20off. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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