Off

Leaving

It gives the idea of leaving. Sometimes sending somebody or something somewhere or not holding somebody, let somebody or something go free.

back off	He backed off slowly keeping an eye on me
be off	I'm off to the shops.
blast off	The space shuttle blasted off for the new international space station today.
bog off	Tell him to bog off.
bugger off	If you don't like it, bugger off elsewhere.
bundle off	My family bundled me off to rehab.
buzz off	He had to buzz off for an afternoon service, but returned later.
cart off	He was carted off the field with an apparent injury.
clear off	During the night the fog cleared off.
come off	I watched him come off the plane
dash off	Feel free to dash off an email to us at any time.
drop off	She dropped me off at my place on her way down south.
fire off	He raised his gun and fired off a shot.
fuck off	He told me to fuck off and mind my own business.
get off	The rocket failed to get off the launch pad.
give off	The body gives off heat to the surrounding air.
go off	Why should he go off like that without saying good-bye?
go off with	She went off with another man.
hare off	It frightened her enough to send her haring off.
haul off	He was hauled off to the police station.
head off	We said our goodbyes headed off in the other direction.
kick off	The tour is going to kick off right here in Atlanta.
lead off	There were four closed doors leading off the hallway.
let off	The park was the only place where she could let the dog off the lead for a good run.
lift off	He took her wife around the waist and lifted her off the ground.
move off	I decided to move off and try another area.
naff off	They basically told me to naff off.
nip off	I'm going to nip off early so I can catch my train.
pack off	At 8:30 his mother packed him off to bed.
peel off	The bodyguards peeled off and started moving toward us.
piss off	I told him to piss off and leave me alone.
push off	Why don't you push off and mind your own business?
run off	Her husband ran off with a younger woman.
see off	We went to see him off and kept saying good-bye until the boat disappeared from sight.
send off	I sent it off last week - it should have arrived by now!
set off	They've set off on a trip around the world.
shoot off	The consultant had to shoot off to an important meeting.
shove off	I told them to shove off.
slip off	They slipped off through the woods.
slope off	They sloped off soon afterwards.
sod off	He told the guy to sod off and mind his own business.
spirit off	They spirited him off to the mountains.
start off	If you're not used to exercising, you can start off by walking half a mile, and maybe within a year or so you can build up to walking two or three miles.
storm off	He stormed off in a rage.
strike off	I struck off down a wooded back lane to Snowhill.
swan off	He just swanned off in a fit of rage.
take off	The plane took off two hours late because of the fog.
tear off	The boy was terrified and tore off down the path to get back with his friends.
trot off	The girls trotted off to school.
turn off	He turned off the road and parked in a little clearing in a wood.
veer off	The electrons having negative charge would veer off to the right. Protons having positive charge would veer off to the left.
wave off	Martin waved him off at the station wondering when he was likely to see him again.
zoom off	They zoomed off to the hospital.

Removing

Removing, getting rid of something because you don't want it anymore.

auction off	I sold two of the houses we never used and auctioned off the furniture.
blow off	The roof was blown off.
bump off	He got bumped off his flight.
check off	Check off the things you've already done.
chip off	Use a paint stripper to chip off the paint.
chop off	Her head was chopped off on May 19, 1536.
come off	It seems to be stuck on with glue and it won't come off.
cross off	She crossed the name off the list.
cut off	He cut off a small piece of meat.
dust off	He dusted off his trousers.
ease off	She eased off her shoes.
fall off	One of the buttons fell off.
fling off	He flung off his shirt and flexed for the cameras.
hack off	He hacked off a branch with his knife.
help off with	Let me help you off with your coat.
kick off	He kicked off his shoes.
kill off	What killed off the dinosaurs?
knock off	He was knocked off his bike but sustained only minor injuries.
leave off	He was disappointed to be left off the short list.
lop off	Lop off the branch just above the new season's bud.
marry off	They want to marry her off to a rich man.
pair off	They tried to pair him off with someone from their circle of acquaintances.
pay off	I've paid off all my debts.
peel off	Crack each egg all over and carefully peel off the shell.
pension off	My new computer is a lot faster than the laptop I've just pensioned off.
pick off	I'll pick them off one by one
pour off	Pour off a little of the oil.
rip off	We ripped each other's clothes off.
rub off	It will rub off after a few months of use.
run off with	He ran off with it without paying.
saw off	He suffered an injury that saw him off the pitch for about 10 months.
score off	Score them off when you get them sorted.
scrape off	She scraped off some of the wax with his fingernail.
scrub off	Use a mixture of vinegar and salt to scrub it off.
sell off	They didn't want to sell it off to foreign investors.
shave off	I shaved my beard off. I fancied a change.
shear off	The roof of the car was completely sheared off.
shoot off	He had his right leg shot off.
shunt off	Certain jobs should remain state jobs and not be shunted off to the private sector.
siphon off	£3 billion in pension cash have been siphoned off by fund managers.
skim off	Corrupt managers skimmed off the profits.
slip off	She slipped off her dress and threw it on a chair.
slough off	He is determined to slough off his old life.
soak off	I soaked the paint off.
strain off	Strain off the water and add salt and pepper to taste.
strike off	A company can be struck off the register for a number of reasons.
strip off	I stripped off and went for a swim in the sea.
sweat off	I decided to hit the gym and try and sweat it off.
take off	He was hot so he took off his jacket.
tear off	When I was a young kid, I always used to tear the crust off bread and not eat it.
throw off	She was thrown off the flight without a valid reason.
tick off	Tick off all the words on the list that you hear.
trim off	Carefully trim off the excess pastry using a small sharp knife.
vote off	She has become the third contestant to be voted off.
walk off with	He walked off with the title.
wash off	Use the garden hose to wash off the mud.
whip off	The photographer told her to whip off her top.
wipe off	The dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the Earth 65 million years ago.
work off	Work off stress through any type of exercise that you enjoy and are physically able to do.

Separating

block off	The incident sparked a major public alert with authorities blocking off parts of the city.
box off	We've boxed off the stairs.
branch off	Church road branches off the main road to the left.
brick off	The tunnel has been bricked off on both sides.
close off	The area will remain closed off until further notice.
cone off	The lane was coned off after an accident.
cordon off	Investigators have now cordoned off the area.
curtain off	The space had no dressing area so a corner was curtained off.
cut off	People who live in big cities become insulated, cut off from one another.
fence off	Unfortunately the square was being renovated and was fenced off to the public.
mark off	They marked off the area where the body was found.
partition off	The rear seat is partitioned off from the driver.
rail off	It was railed off to prevent the accidental fall of visitors.
screen off	The pool area is screened off.
seal off	The area has been sealed off by the army for the past few days.
shut off	There were big trees that shut off the view.
spin off	The three main businesses could be easily spun off.
split off	Many of its members split off to form a new party.
wall off	The enclosure was walled off and locked every night.

Finishing, completing, stopping, cancelling

Bringing something to an end. Completing a process, sometimes quickly or successfully. Cancelling or putting a stop to something that was going on or was going to happen.

break off	I was shocked when they broke off their engagement.
call off	The meeting was called off at the last minute due to mist and heavy drizzle.
clock off	All employees had to clock off at the end of the day.
come off	The team came off second best.
cry off	He cried off at the last moment.
cut off	We were cut off in the middle of our phone conversation.
dash off	Feel free to dash off an email to us at any time.
finish off	The invasion of the Spaniards finished off the Aztec languages of Mexico.
get off	Can you get off the phone, please?
go off	The party went off without a hitch.
hoot off	He was hooted off the stage after only 15 minutes.
knock off	We knocked off early and went to the pub.
lay off	It's safer to lay off the drink completely if you do have to drive.
leave off	We need to continue where we left off.
log off	I logged off and decided to drive home.
pass off	Voting passed off peacefully in most parts of the country.
pay off	I've paid off all my debts.
pension off	I was employed until injury had me pensioned off.
play off	The losers of the semifinal matches will play off for the bronze medal.
polish off	She has just polished off a whole packet of biscuits.
print off	The report is complete and can be printed off if needed.
put off	Let's put off the meeting until Monday.
rain off	Today's match has been rained off.
rattle off	I just rattled off the list in my head.
reel off	He could reel off the names of all the kings and queens.
ring off	He said goodbye and rang off.
round off	There was a fireworks display to round off the evening.
shake off	Having your heart broken isn’t something you can just shake off — not if the love was real.
shut off	Turn the valve to shut off the supply of water.
sign off	The seller has to sign off the title to you.
stop off	They stopped off at the shop on their way home.
switch off	Switch off the engine.
take off	She was so beautiful I couldn't take my eyes off her.
top off	We can top the evening off with a pint at the pub.
trail off	His voice trailed off as he climbed the stairs.
turn off	Please turn off the lights.
write off	The World Bank should write off the debts of developing countries.

Preventing; protecting; rejecting

beat off	They beat off strong competition from a Singapore-based rival to win the contract.
brush off	It's too easy to brush off the issue if you haven't been affected.
buy off	They tried to buy him off with a position in Washington.
chase off	They were chased off by troops, who fired warning shots.
fend off	The president has fended off criticism about the tactics he used to raise money for his own re-election.
fight off	I'm taking lots of vitamin C to help me fight off this cold.
frighten off	The crowd wasn't frightened off by the thunderstorm.
head off	The shot was low and firm but Jiang blocked brilliantly to head off the danger.
hold off	He held off the challenge of his brother Ralf for a third podium of the season.
keep off	keep your hands off me!
laugh off	The actress laughed off the rumours about her wedding.
slag off	Stop slagging him off all the time!
pay off	They offered to pay him off if he drops the case.
put off	I didn't want her to come to the concert so I put her off by saying she wouldn't enjoy it.
scare off	If you look for commitment too soon, it scares a man off.
see off	United have always been able to see off their rivals.
stave off	She might need antibiotics to stave off infection.
ward off	To ward off further damage and potential injury, they removed several trees on the property.
warn off	They warned him off but he kept coming.

Success

bring off	Disaster movies that have no human enemy to hate are difficult to bring off.
carry off	I was still unsure that he could carry off such a project.
come off	It was a good try but it didn't quite come off.
go off	Everything went off smoothly.
hit off	I met a guy recently and we really hit it off.
pass off as	He stole the design and passed it off as his own.
pay off	Her hard work has definitely paid off.
pull off	It took patience to pull off the deal.
show off	The event gives them a chance to show off some of their skills.

Beginning

Some verbs with off mean start of begin something. Quite similar to verbs listed under the departure tag.

fire off	The reporters fired off questions as we left the room.
get off	The show got off to a flying start with astounding displays from many world-class teams.
get off with	He's been trying to get off with her since the beginning of term.
kick off	The first match will kick off right after the opening ceremony.
lead off	She led off with a welcome and an introduction of guests.
set off	We set off for London at five o'clock in the morning so we would arrive before the rush hour.
spark off	We are glad that we sparked off a debate on this issue.
start off	Let me start off by saying that I am in love with all of your books.
tee off	We teed off at 7:30 and were the first group on the golf course.
touch off	The incident touched off a small riot.
trigger off	Stress can trigger off many beauty problems, like acne, hair loss and dandruff.

Decreasing, reducing

cool off	They've even got a swimming pool to cool off in the heat of the summer.
die off	Some of the trees were dying off.
drop off	Temperatures will drop off quickly as northwest winds strengthen.
dry off	Leave it till it dries off.
ease off	My hangover eased off at noon.
fall off	Growth fell off sharply as a result of the oil crisis.
knock off	They decided to knock 50p off the price of hots drinks.
let off	We live in London and normally the kids have nowhere at all to let off steam.
level off	House prices have started to level off.
pass off	The side effects will pass off after a few days.
slacken off	The rain was showing no signs of slackening off.
sleep off	Go home and sleep it off before you do any more damage.
tail off	Profits tailed off slightly towards the end of the year.
take off	I'll take it off your wages.
taper off	My voice tapered off as I realized that none of the others were singing along.
walk off	Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and done regularly you can walk off those excess pounds.
wean off	I decided to wean myself off coffee.
wear off	He's in pain when the effect of the drugs he's taking starts to wear off.
work off	Work off stress through any type of exercise that you enjoy and are physically able to do.

Falling asleep

doze off	I tried to read a newspaper but must have been so tired that I dozed off.
drift off	I relaxed and drifted off to sleep
drop off	He was so tired that he dropped off to sleep immediately.
get off	I couldn't get off to sleep until 4am.
go off	He went off to sleep in the car.
nod off	I tried to stay awake but kept nodding off.