1
as in to explode
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
as in to progress
to move forward along a course
the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to depart
to leave a place often for another
don't go off without telling us where we can find you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 go off
Boston’s non-Pritchard reserves totaled just three points before garbage time, however, and his top competitor for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Malik Beasley, went off for Detroit.
—
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
But after a seven-assist night against Denver the last time out (in a game his team won comfortably), there's a good chance tonight is the night Doncic goes off as a passer.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
The gun went off; a bullet hit the floor, then struck a coffee table.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Guns have a way of going off at inconvenient moments.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for go off
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
But after a seven-assist night against Denver the last time out (in a game his team won comfortably), there's a good chance tonight is the night Doncic goes off as a passer.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
The gun went off; a bullet hit the floor, then struck a coffee table.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Guns have a way of going off at inconvenient moments.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for go off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for go off
Verb
-
Raw eggs… Soda cans aren’t the only kind of item at risk of exploding in the freezer, according to Dr. Detwiler.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Unless the rest of government is dramatically scaled back, that planned tax cut would explode the federal budget deficit.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But as the pandemic progressed, killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world, Cuomo’s response also faced intense scrutiny over a controversial directive to transfer recovering Covid-19 patients back to nursing homes.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
-
As the evening progressed, the patio swelled with A-listers.—
Paul Chi,
Vogue,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Now, the beloved brand is entering a new phase: departing from the L’Oréal umbrella to be independently-owned once again.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
4 Mar. 2025
-
The grant conveys each school’s television rights to the conference through 2035-36, and FSU’s counsel estimated that if the grant and exit fee were strictly enforced, departing the league would cost the school more than $600 million.—
David Teel,
Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the truck's bed are believed to have been detonated using a device operated by the driver.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Meanwhile, an explosive device that did not detonate was discovered on a fourth bus, police said.—
Mohammed Tawfeeq,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Brown revealed her new platinum blonde ‘do at the start of the month, before giving her locks their red carpet debut at Sunday’s 2025 SAG Awards.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
People.com,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Historic Fed Takeover Attempts Before getting into what presidents have done, start with the 1913 creation of the Federal Reserve by Congress through the Federal Reserve Act.—
Erik Sherman,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Security camera footage showed the two suspects entering the apartment building at about 4:24 p.m. Monday and going to the door of the apartment, then exiting from a rear staircase at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to the incident report.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Stansbury recorded a video shared on Instagram while exiting the Capitol elaborating on the succinct message of her sign.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Finally in November of last year, another one popped up on TheRealReal.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
6 Mar. 2025
-
Original Dallas cast members Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing) and Charlene Tilton (Lucy Ewing), for example, initially popped into spinoff Knots Landing, which started out slow and ultimately ran for 14 seasons.—
Marc Berman,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Their suspicions ended up being warranted, as the ever-elusive rapper proceeded to delay the record for more than a year despite pre-orders, merch, and numerous festival appearances.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Strategic work can proceed in teams as organizations gain better reliability when moving from fire-response tactics to proactive risk mitigation.—
Sai Sandeep Ogety,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Go off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/go%20off. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share