went off

past tense of go off
1
as in exploded
to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

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 went off The firework went off inside a wooden locker in the fourth-floor research laboratory, which is part of the Department of Neurobiology, according to an affidavit. Michael Dorgan , Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025 At that time, one gun went off, killing the detention sergeant, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer told The Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025 In their fourth career NBA games, LeBron James scored seven points, Luka Doncic 21, Michael Jordan 25, Dirk Nowitzki 8, Tim Duncan 19, and Cooper Flagg went off for 2. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2025 Jefferson was driving a 2018 Toyota Camry heading north on Arkansas 53 when the vehicle went off the roadway and collided with a tree, the report says. Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2025 Susan De Marco was nervous to reenter the workforce when her third son went off to kindergarten. Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025 Jim Jones went off on the G-Unit member for those comments and more on the latest episode of Artist 2 Artist. Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 15 Oct. 2025 The October 13 edition of Raw went off the air with Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman turning on their Vision leader, Seth Rollins. Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 The couple spent a whirlwind few weeks together before Stiller went off to shoot a new project in New York. Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for went off
Verb
  • But things do appear to have exploded dramatically in the last half-decade.
    Michael Cox, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Drug-overdose numbers exploded.
    David Merritt Johns, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Lobbying expenditures from firms linked to the Chinese PLA have intensified as deliberations in Congress have progressed surrounding the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual piece of legislation designed to fund America’s military and deal broadly with national security matters.
    Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2025
  • But as the year progressed, confidence returned, driven in part by the power of these digitally native generations.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Michaelson, who departed Fox’s Los Angeles affiliate last summer, makes the case for a West Coast-centric show.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike the innumerable photons from sunlight, perhaps a dozen per second trickle through my cornea from this distant messenger, having departed it years ago, colliding with my photoreceptors and ending their unlikely journey.
    Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The move could end a nearly three-decade period during which none of the world’s major nuclear powers have detonated a nuclear weapon.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
  • North Korea is the only nation that has detonated nuclear weapons since 1998.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday, nor did HUD officials.
    Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The two men then said Smollett paid them to stage the attack, and Smollett was charged with filing a false police report; the charges were later dropped after Smollett paid a fine and did community service.
    Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • His departure comes as Michael Michele, one of the series’ leads, exited late last week, as Deadline revealed exclusively.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025
  • When Holliday exited in 1980 for her own comedy, Ladd was brought in as Belle Dupree, a tough-as-nails waitress once romantically linked to diner owner Mel (Vic Tayback).
    Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Murals depicting him mid-throw popped up in the city virtually overnight.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Applovin — The software stock popped more than 6% on the heels of its better-than-expected quarterly results.
    Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Just nine hours before the polls closed on Election Day in New York City, Zohran Mamdani walked into a crowded room full of dozens of NYC content creators and proceeded to answer a non-stop barrage of questions on everything from housing policy to childcare and LGBTQ rights.
    Taylor Lorenz, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
  • His apology seemed to have been accepted by the cast, who forgave Mel and proceeded with the competition.
    Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 5 Nov. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Went off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/went%20off. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!