gone off

Definition of gone offnext
past participle 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

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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 gone off The film easily could've gone off the rails in less capable hands, but Yeoh grounds it in an emotional truth as Evelyn journeys from embittered to empowered. Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 One has just gone off the rails, and one has stayed completely on the rails. Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026 Then, a long, explosive sound, as loud as if a bomb had gone off. Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 26 Feb. 2026 Dawson’s Creek had just gone off the air and the actor, then 26, was eager to talk about his future. Ky Henderson, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026 The 25-year-old appears to have gone off the boil, and has been jeered by fans at the Bernabeu on more than one occasion this season. Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026 Louisville, Kentucky — The power had just gone off and the ground was shaking at Grade A Auto Parts when the owner received a panicked video call from his chief financial officer. Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025 But then Lacey was back with the kids, banging around in the kitchen, and the first of the evening’s friends and acquaintances began to show up and the blessedness passed, as had the roadrunner, hyperactive and vigilant and always on the make, gone off to seek somebody else’s snakes. T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025 Ellen could have gone off riding and some of those cattle thieves that Dougal chased off could have come upon her. Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gone off
Verb
  • An asteroid the size of a house exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk with the force of 440,000 tons of TNT, damaging buildings and injuring more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Usually, the fire department starts the program in late April or May, but because of all the weather whiplash the area has seen over the past few months, vegetation has exploded and left many yards and properties with fire hazards.
    Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Burgett then proceeded to yell at both police and the store clerk, who had followed him out, prosecutors said.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Levin proceeded to advocate for US escalation in Iran.
    Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But the moment that deeply moved his former manager came in the top of the first, as the veteran shortstop readied himself for his first at-bat at Fenway as a visiting player.
    Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • His income moved dramatically from year to year, from a high of around $166 million in 2021 to a low of around $8 million the following year.
    Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The gruesome images of tanks blown apart by drones in Ukraine did not dissuade anyone from purchasing these systems.
    Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Soto will have imaging done Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza said.
    CBS News, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
  • But without the push from one world to the other, the work could never begin, much less get done.
    Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Michaels, who traveled to the Capitol last year to press for the files’ release, wanted Bondi gone.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Here's when astronauts will reach moon The 10-day mission is set to bring the astronauts − NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch, and Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen − farther into space than anyone has ever gone.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Breakfast with thick waffles or puffy omelets come with housemade fresh cinnamon rolls the size of a baseball, drizzled with icing.
    Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
  • But that pact came without the protection of a no-trade clause, and as the Cubs sputtered to a second consecutive 83-win, playoff-less season, the idea of trading a controllable second baseman with the ability to play shortstop to upgrade the roster wasn’t too far-fetched.
    Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Chosen as the replacement to the game mid at-bat with a runner on first base when Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton departed in the second inning, Rea had to get ready on the fly.
    Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The chief communications officer role at OpenAI has remained vacant since Hannah Wong departed earlier this year.
    Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Gone off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gone%20off. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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