Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adverb From a place or position.
- adverb At a certain distance in space or time.
- adverb From a given course or route; aside.
- adverb Into a state of unconsciousness.
- adverb So as to be no longer on, attached, or connected.
- adverb So as to be divided.
- adverb So as to be no longer continuing, operating, or functioning.
- adverb So as to be completely removed, finished, or eliminated.
- adverb So as to be in a state of sudden violent or loud activity.
- adverb So as to be smaller, fewer, or less.
- adverb So as to be away from or not engaged in work or duty.
- adverb Offstage.
- adjective Distant or removed; farther.
- adjective Remote; slim.
- adjective Not on, attached, or connected.
- adjective Not operating or operational.
- adjective No longer taking place; canceled.
- adjective Slack.
- adjective Not up to standard; below a normal or satisfactory level.
- adjective Not accurate; incorrect.
- adjective Somewhat crazy; eccentric.
- adjective Started on the way; going.
- adjective Absent, away from, or not engaged in work or duty.
- adjective Spent away from work or duty.
- adjective Being on the right side of an animal or vehicle.
- adjective Being the animal or vehicle on the right.
- adjective Nautical Farthest from the shore; seaward.
- adjective Sports Toward or designating the side of the field facing the batsman in cricket.
- adjective Off-color.
- preposition So as to be removed or distant from.
- preposition Away or relieved from.
- preposition By consuming.
- preposition With the means provided by.
- preposition Informal From.
- preposition Extending or branching out from.
- preposition Not up to the usual standard of.
- preposition So as to abstain from.
- preposition Nautical To seaward of.
- intransitive verb To go away; leave.
- intransitive verb To murder.
- idiom (off and on) In an intermittent manner.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Nautical, to move off shore; steer from the land: said of a ship, and used only in the present participle: as, the vessel was offing at the time the accident happened.
- An abbreviation. See
Of .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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-- The Participle used as an adjective modifier, with the words belonging to it, is set off+ [Footnote: An expression in the body of a sentence is set off by two commas; at the beginning or at the end, by one comma.] +by the comma unless restrictive+.
Higher Lessons in English A work on english grammar and composition Brainerd Kellogg
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-- When you desire to reform from drinking, never break off abruptly, which is dangerous; but _taper off_ gradually -- three glasses to-day, two to-morrow, and one the next day.
My Life: or the Adventures of Geo. Thompson Being the Auto-Biography of an Author. Written by Himself. George Thompson
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(GEORGE _and_ BRIAN _go off at windows up_ L.) (DINAH _follows up_ R. _and watches them off_.)
Mr. Pim Passes By 1919
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"She's swept it off," said Prudy, speaking for her, "but she didn't sweep it _way off_!"
Little Prudy Sophie May 1869
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'You must excuse her calling on you, she is never off the sofa, but --' And what a bright look he gave! as much as to say that his wife _on_ the sofa was better than any one else _off_.
The Young Step-Mother Charlotte Mary Yonge 1862
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It is now more than a week, O EDITOR! since this breakfast came off, or rather since it went down, for it isn't _off_ yet; even now, that taste ---- Do you know what it is, Sir, to have your jaws hang?
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, April 1844 Volume 23, Number 4 Various 1840
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Messiah to be cut off, have eagerly endeavoured to press it into their service, it remains for me to show, that it is impossible to make this prophecy refer to the cutting off of Jesus.
The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the Old George Bethune English 1807
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Prynne had his nose slit, and his ears cut off, for speaking and writing his mind; but it must not be forgotten, that he lived to see the _tyrant's head struck off_, and the _infamous judge_ who passed the _cruel sentence_ upon him, brought to
Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq. — Volume 1 Henry Hunt 1804
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IV. iii.13 (285,5) [they must come off] _To come off_, signifies in our author, sometimes _to be uttered with spirit and volubility_.
Notes to Shakespeare — Volume 01: Comedies Samuel Johnson 1746
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Zales Clearance Sale: Up to 70\% off + Extra 30\% off* Up to an extra 30\% off select items during ...
bilby commented on the word off
Cricket jargon - the side of the field closest away from batsman's body.
November 29, 2007
whichbe commented on the word off
A contranym: it means both off *and* on (e.g., "the alarm went off").
May 14, 2008
sarra commented on the word off
Ohhhhh. Now I'm stumped as to how to explain/justify “go off” in that sense. But I have had a wonderful time considering all possible meanings of off.
May 14, 2008
sarra commented on the word off
Ah, here. This one (among many, many others):
go off … To start into sudden action; to break into a fit of laughter, extravagance of language, irrelevant or unintelligible discourse, etc. (emphasis mine)
May 14, 2008
bilby commented on the word off
"'Those old wooden stairs,' said Vaclav. 'The tar roof, the gas coppers in the laundry. I am curious an old place like that has not caught fire on its own. It is a death trap. There were some women sunbaking on the roof. But they did not see us.'
'Don't worry about them,' said Les. 'They live there.'
'I tell you one thing,' said Grigor. 'When it does go, nothing will stop it. She will be off like the rotten fishcake,' he added with a laugh."
- 'Robert Barrett, 'Between the Devlin and the Deep Blue Seas'.
August 30, 2008