off
The preposition is pronounced ɒf, US ɔ:f. The adverb is pronounced ɒf, US ɔ:f
In addition to the uses shown below, off is used after some verbs and nouns in order to introduce extra information. Off is also used in phrasal verbs such as `get off', `pair off', and `sleep off'.
1 prep If something is taken off something else or moves off it, it is no longer touching that thing.
(=from)
He took his feet off the desk..., I took the key for the room off a rack above her head..., Hugh wiped the rest of the blood off his face with his handkerchief.
Off is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
Lee broke off a small piece of orange and held it out to him..., His exhaust fell off six laps from the finish.
2 prep When you get off a bus, train, or plane, you come out of it or leave it after you have been travelling on it., (Antonym: on)
Don't try to get on or off a moving train!..., As he stepped off the aeroplane, he was shot dead.
Off is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
At the next stop the man got off too and introduced himself.
3 prep If you keep off a street or piece of land, you do not step on it or go there.
Locking up men does nothing more than keep them off the streets..., The local police had warned visitors to keep off the beach at night.
Off is also an adverb., adv
...a sign saying `Keep Off'.
4 prep If something is situated off a place such as a coast, room, or road, it is near to it or next to it, but not exactly in it.
The boat was anchored off the northern coast of the peninsula..., Lily lives in a penthouse just off Park Avenue...
5 adv If you go off, you leave a place.
ADV after v, be ADV, oft ADV -ing
He was just about to drive off when the secretary came running out..., She gave a hurried wave and set off across the grass..., She was off again. Last year she had been to Kenya. This year it was Goa..., When his master's off traveling, Caleb stays with Pierre's parents.
6 adv When you take off clothing or jewellery that you are wearing, you remove it from your body.
ADV after v
He took off his spectacles and rubbed frantically at the lens..., He hastily stripped off his old uniform and began pulling on the new one.
7 adv If you have time off or a particular day off, you do not go to work or school, for example because you are ill or it is a day when you do not usually work.
usu n ADV, also be ADV
The rest of the men had the day off..., She was sacked for demanding Saturdays off..., I'm off tomorrow..., The average Swede was off sick 27 days last year.
Off is also a preposition., prep
He could not get time off work to go on holiday.
8 prep If you keep off a subject, you deliberately avoid talking about it.
Keep off the subject of politics..., Keep the conversation off linguistic matters.
9 adv If something such as an agreement or a sporting event is off, it is cancelled.
be ADV, ADV after v (Antonym: on)
Until Pointon is completely happy, however, the deal's off..., Greenpeace refused to call off the event.
10 prep If someone is off something harmful such as a drug, they have stopped taking or using it.
She felt better and the psychiatrist took her off drug therapy...
11 prep If you are off something, you have stopped liking it.
I'm off coffee at the moment..., Diarrhoea can make you feel weak, as well as putting you off your food.
12 adv When something such as a machine or electric light is off, it is not functioning or in use. When you switch it off, you stop it functioning.
be ADV, ADV after v (Antonym: on)
As he pulled into the driveway, he saw her bedroom light was off..., We used sail power and turned the engine off to save our fuel..., The microphones had been switched off.
13 prep If there is money off something, its price is reduced by the amount specified.
amount PREP n
...Simons Leatherwear, 37 Old Christchurch Road. 20 per cent off all jackets this Saturday., ...discounts offering thousands of pounds off the normal price of a car.
Off is also an adverb., adv ADV after v, v-link ADV, amount ADV
I'm prepared to knock five hundred pounds off but no more.
14 adv If something is a long way off, it is a long distance away from you.
n/amount ADV
(=away)
Florida was a long way off..., Below you, though still 50 miles off, is the most treeless stretch of land imaginable.
15 adv If something is a long time off, it will not happen for a long time.
n/amount ADV
An end to the crisis seems a long way off..., The required technology is probably still two years off.
16 prep If you get something off someone, you obtain it from them.
SPOKEN
(=from)
I don't really get a lot of information, and if I do I get it off Mark..., `Telmex' was bought off the government by a group of investors.
17 adj If food has gone off, it tastes and smells bad because it is no longer fresh enough to be eaten.
(mainly BRIT) v-link ADJ
(=bad)
Don't eat that! It's mouldy. It's gone off!
in AM, usually use spoiled, bad
18 prep If you live off a particular kind of food, you eat it in order to live. If you live off a particular source of money, you use it to live.
v PREP n
(=on)
Her husband's memories are of living off roast chicken and drinking whisky..., Antony had been living off the sale of his own paintings.
19 prep If a machine runs off a particular kind of fuel or power, it uses that power in order to function.
v PREP n
The Auto Compact Disc Cleaner can run off batteries or mains.
20 If something happens on and off, or off and on, it happens occasionally, or only for part of a period of time, not in a regular or continuous way.
off and on phrase PHR after v, PHR with cl I was still working on and off as a waitress to support myself..., We lived together, off and on, for two years.
badly off (worse off comparative) (worst off superlative )
in AM, also use bad off
1 adj If you are badly off, you are in a bad situation.
usu v-link ADJ
The average working week in Japan is 42.3 hours, compared with 41.6 in the UK, so they are not too badly off.
2 adj If you are badly off, you do not have much money.
usu v-link ADJ
It is outrageous that people doing well-paid jobs should moan about how badly off they are.
blast-off
Blast-off is the moment when a rocket leaves the ground and rises into the air to begin a journey into space. n-uncount
The original planned launch was called off four minutes before blast-off.
browned off
If you say that you are browned off, you mean that you are annoyed and depressed.
(mainly BRIT)
INFORMAL adj usu v-link ADJ
(=fed up)
Sorry, I'm just thoroughly browned off.
brush-off
If someone gives you thebrush-off when you speak to them, they refuse to talk to you or be nice to you.
INFORMAL n-sing
I wanted to keep in touch, but when I called him he gave me the brush-off.
cast-off (cast-offs plural ), castoff Cast-off things, especially clothes, are ones which someone no longer uses because they are old or unfashionable, and which they give to someone else or throw away. adj ADJ n
Alexandra looked plump and awkward in her cast-off clothing.
Cast-off is also a noun., n-count usu pl
I never had anything new to wear as a child, only a cousin's cast-offs.
cheesed off
If you are cheesed off, you are annoyed, bored, or disappointed.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL adj v-link ADJ
Jean was thoroughly cheesed off by the whole affair...
comfortably off
If someone is comfortably off, they have enough money to be able to live without financial problems. adj usu v-link ADJ
He had no plans to retire even though he is now very comfortably off.
cooling-off period (cooling-off periods plural )A cooling-off period is an agreed period of time during which two sides with opposing views try to resolve a dispute before taking any serious action. n-count
There should be a seven-day cooling-off period between a strike ballot and industrial action.
cut-off (cut-offs plural ), cutoff
1 n-count A cut-off or a cut-off point is the level or limit at which you decide that something should stop happening.
usu sing, oft N n
The cut-off date for registering is yet to be announced..., On young girls it can look really great, but there is a definite age cut-off on this.
2 n-count The cut-offof a supply or service is the complete stopping of the supply or service.
usu sing
A total cut-off of supplies would cripple the country's economy...
day off (days off plural )A day off is a day when you do not go to work, even though it is usually a working day. n-count
It was Mrs Dearden's day off, and Paul was on duty in her place.
falling-off
If there is a falling-off of an activity, there is a decrease in its amount or intensity. n-sing N of/in n
(=decline)
There has been a falling-off in box office income and other earnings.
far off (further off comparative) (furthest off superlative )
1 adj If you describe a moment in time as far off, you mean that it is a long time from the present, either in the past or the future.
(=distant)
In those far off days it never entered anyone's mind that she could be Prime Minister..., Agreement is even further off.
2 adj If you describe something as far off, you mean that it is a long distance from you or from a particular place.
...stars in far-off galaxies.
Far off is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
The band was playing far off in their blue and yellow uniforms.
jumping-off point
A jumping-off point or a jumping-off place is a place, situation, or occasion which you use as the starting point for something. n-sing
Lectoure is a bustling market town and the best jumping-off point for a first visit to Le Gers.
kick-off (kick-offs plural )
in AM, use kickoff
1 n-var In football, the kick-off is the time at which a particular game starts.
(BRIT)
The kick-off is at 1.30.
2 n-count In American football, a kickoff is the kick that begins a play, for example at the beginning of a half or after a touchdown or field goal.
(AM)
3 n-sing The kick-off of an event or activity is its beginning.
INFORMAL People stood waiting for the kick-off of the parade.
lift-off (lift-offs plural )Lift-off is the beginning of a rocket's flight into space, when it leaves the ground. n-var
The lift-off was delayed about seven minutes..., The rocket tumbled out of control shortly after lift-off.
Mexican stand-off (Mexican stand-offs plural )A Mexican stand-off is a situation in which neither of the people or groups in a conflict or dispute can win and neither wants to give in first.
(AM) n-count usu sing
off-air , off air
In radio or television, when a programme goes off-air or when something happens off-air, it is not broadcast. adv ADV after v, be ADV
The argument continued off air.
Off-air is also an adjective., adj ADJ n
...a special off-air advice line.
off-balance , off balance
1 adj If someone or something is off-balance, they can easily fall or be knocked over because they are not standing firmly.
v n ADJ, v-link ADJ
He tried to use his own weight to push his attacker off but he was off balance...
2 adj If someone is caught off-balance, they are extremely surprised or upset by a particular event or piece of news they are not expecting.
usu v n ADJ
Mullins knocked me off-balance with his abrupt change of subject..., The government was thrown off-balance by the attempted coup.
off-beam , off beam
If you describe something or someone as off-beam, you mean that they are wrong or inaccurate.
INFORMAL adj usu v-link ADJ
Everything she says is a little off beam.
off-Broadway
1 adj An off-Broadway theatre is located close to Broadway, the main theatre district in New York.
ADJ n
2 adj An off-Broadway play is less commercial and often more unusual than those usually staged on Broadway.
ADJ n
off-centre
in AM, use off-center
1 adj If something is off-centre, it is not exactly in the middle of a space or surface.
usu v-link ADJ
If the blocks are placed off-centre, they will fall down.
2 adj If you describe someone or something as off-centre, you mean that they are less conventional than other people or things.
usu v-link ADJ
(=unorthodox)
Davies's writing is far too off-centre to be commercial.
off-chance , off chance
If you do something on the off-chance, you do it because you hope that it will succeed, although you think that this is unlikely.
on the off-chance phrase PHR after v, oft PHR that, PHR of n/-ing
He had taken a flight to Paris on the off-chance that he might be able to meet Francesca.
off-colour
in AM, use off-color
1 adj If you say that you are feeling off-colour, you mean that you are slightly ill.
(BRIT) v-link ADJ
(=out of sorts)
For three weeks Maurice felt off-colour but did not have any dramatic symptoms.
2 adj If you say that someone's performance is off-colour, you mean that they are not performing as well as they usually do.
(BRIT, JOURNALISM)
Milan looked off-colour but eventually took the lead in the 82nd minute.
off day (off days plural ), off-day If someone has anoff day, they do not perform as well as usual.
INFORMAL n-count
Whittingham, the League's top scorer, had an off day, missing three good chances.
off-duty
When someone such as a soldier or policeman is off-duty, they are not working. adj
The place is the haunt of off-duty policemen.
off-guard
If someone is caughtoff-guard, they are not expecting a surprise or danger that suddenly occurs. adj v n ADJ, v-link ADJ
(=unawares)
The question caught her completely off-guard.
off-key
When music is off-key, it is not in tune. adj
(=out of tune)
...wailing, off-key vocals and strangled guitars...
Off-key is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
(=out of tune)
Moe was having fun banging the drums and singing off-key.
off-licence (off-licences plural )An off-licence is a shop which sells beer, wine, and other alcoholic drinks.
(BRIT) n-count oft the N
in AM, use liquor store
off limits , off-limits
1 adj If a place is off limits to someone, they are not allowed to go there.
usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to n
Downing Street has been off limits to the general public since 1982..., Certain areas have been declared off limits to servicemen.
2 adj If you say that an activity or a substance is off limits for someone, you mean that they are not allowed to do it or have it.
v-link ADJ, oft ADJ for n
Fraternizing with the customers is off-limits...
off-message
If a politician is off-message, they say something that does not follow the official policy of their party. adj usu v-link ADJ
off-peak
You use off-peak to describe something that happens or that is used at times when there is least demand for it. Prices at off-peak times are often lower than at other times. adj ADJ n (Antonym: peak)
The price for indoor courts is £10 per hour at peak times and £7 per hour at off-peak times., ...off-peak electricity.
Off-peak is also an adverb., adv ADV after v
Each tape lasts three minutes and costs 36p per minute off-peak and 48p at all other times.
off-putting
If you describe a quality or feature of something as off-putting, you mean that it makes you dislike that thing or not want to get involved with it.
(mainly BRIT) adj
However, many customers found the smell of this product distinctly off-putting.
off-roader (off-roaders plural )An off-roader is the same as an off-road vehicle.
INFORMAL n-count
off-roading
Off-roading is the activity of driving off-road vehicles over rough ground. n-uncount
...training sessions for anyone who wants to go off-roading.
off-road vehicle (off-road vehicles plural )An off-road vehicle is a vehicle that is designed to travel over rough ground. n-count
off-screen , offscreen
You use off-screen to refer to the real lives of film or television actors, in contrast with the lives of the characters they play. adv ADV with cl (Antonym: on-screen)
He was immensely attractive to women, onscreen and offscreen..., Off-screen, Kathy is under the watchful eye of her father Terry.
Off-screen is also an adjective., adj ADJ n (Antonym: on-screen)
They were quick to dismiss rumours of an off-screen romance.
off season , off-season
1 n-sing The off season is the time of the year when not many people go on holiday and when things such as hotels and plane tickets are often cheaper.
also no det, oft N n
(=low season) (Antonym: high season)
It is possible to vacation at some of the more expensive resorts if you go in the off-season..., Although it was off-season, the hotel was fully occupied., ...off-season prices.
Off season is also an adverb., adv usu ADV with cl, also ADV after v
Times become more flexible off-season, especially in the smaller provincial museums.
2 n-sing The off season is the time of the year when a particular sport is not played.
oft N n (Antonym: season)
He has coached and played in Italy during the Australian off-season., ...intensive off-season training.
Off season is also an adverb., adv usu ADV with cl, also ADV after v
To stay fit off season, I play tennis or football.
off-site
→
site
off-the-cuff
→
cuff
off-the-peg
→
peg
off-the-record
→
record
off-the-shelf
→
shelf
off-the-wall
1 adj If you describe something as off-the-wall, you mean that it is unusual and rather strange but in an amusing or interesting way.
INFORMAL usu ADJ n
...surreal off-the-wall humor.
2 adj If you say that a person, their ideas, or their ways of doing something are off-the-wall, you are critical of them because you think they are mad or very foolish., (disapproval)
It can be done without following some absurd, off-the-wall investment strategy.
off topic , off-topic
If you describe something that someone says or writes as off topic, you mean that it is not relevant to the current discussion; used especially of discussions on the Internet. adj
In addition to the 81 positive comments, 26 students had neutral, mixed, negative or off topic views.
off-white
Something that is off-white is not pure white, but slightly grey or yellow. colour
off-year (off-years plural )An off-year is a year when no major political elections are held.
(AM) n-count oft N n
Election officials predict they'll set a new turnout record for an off-year election in Washington state.
one-off (one-offs plural )
1 n-count You can refer to something as a one-off when it is made or happens only once.
(mainly BRIT)
Our survey revealed that these allergies were mainly one-offs.
2 adj A one-off thing is made or happens only once.
(mainly BRIT) ADJ n
...one-off cash benefits.
play-off (play-offs plural ), playoff
1 n-count A playoff is an extra game which is played to decide the winner of a sports competition when two or more people have got the same score.
Nick Faldo was beaten by Peter Baker in a play-off.
2 n-count You use playoffs to refer to a series of games between the winners of different leagues, to decide which teams will play for a championship.
usu N in pl
The winner will face the Oakland A's in the playoffs this weekend.
rake-off (rake-offs plural )If someone who has helped to arrange a business deal takes or gets a rake-off, they illegally or unfairly take a share of the profits.
INFORMAL n-count
(=cut)
rip-off (rip-offs plural )
1 n-count If you say that something that you bought was a rip-off, you mean that you were charged too much money or that it was of very poor quality.
INFORMAL If he thinks £5.40 a day for parking at Luton Airport is a rip-off, he should try Heathrow.
2 n-count If you say that something is a rip-offof something else, you mean that it is a copy of that thing and has no original features of its own.
INFORMAL oft N of n
In a rip-off of the hit movie Green Card, Billy marries one of his students so he can stay in the country.
roll-on roll-off
A roll-on roll-off ship is designed so that cars and lorries can drive on at one end before the ship sails, and then drive off at the other end after the journey.
(BRIT) adj ADJ n
...roll-on roll-off ferries.
run-off (run-offs plural ), runoff A run-off is an extra vote or contest which is held in order to decide the winner of an election or competition, because no-one has yet clearly won. n-count usu sing, oft N between pl-n
There will be a run-off between these two candidates on December 9th...
sawed-off shotgun (sawed-off shotguns plural )A sawed-off shotgun is the same as a sawn-off shotgun.
(AM) n-count
sawn-off shotgun (sawn-off shotguns plural )A sawn-off shotgun is a shotgun on which the barrel has been cut short. Guns like this are often used by criminals because they can be easily hidden.
(BRIT) n-count
The men burst in wearing balaclavas and brandishing sawn-off shotguns.
in AM, use sawed-off shotgun
sell-off (sell-offs plural ), selloff The sell-off of something, for example an industry owned by the state or a company's shares, is the selling of it. (BUSINESS) n-count usu with supp
The privatisation of the electricity industry<endash>the biggest sell-off of them all...
sending-off (sendings-off plural )If there is a sending-off during a game of football, a player is told to leave the field by the referee, as a punishment for seriously breaking the rules. n-count oft poss N
He is about to begin a three-match ban after his third sending-off of the season.
send-off (send-offs plural )If a group of people give someone who is going away a send-off, they come together to say goodbye to them.
INFORMAL n-count usu adj N
All the people in the buildings came to give me a rousing send-off.
show-off (show-offs plural ), showoff If you say that someone is a show-off, you are criticizing them for trying to impress people by showing in a very obvious way what they can do or what they own.
INFORMAL n-count
(disapproval)
spin-off (spin-offs plural )
1 n-count A spin-off is an unexpected but useful or valuable result of an activity that was designed to achieve something else.
usu with supp, oft N from/of n
The company put out a report on commercial spin-offs from its research.
2 n-count A spin-off is a book, film, or television series that comes after and is related to a successful book, film, or television series.
stand-off (stand-offs plural ), standoff A stand-off is a situation in which neither of two opposing groups or forces will make a move until the other one does something, so nothing can happen until one of them gives way. n-count
The State Department was warning that this could lead to another diplomatic stand-off.
→
Mexican stand-off
telling-off (tellings-off plural ), telling off If you give someone a telling-off, you tell them that you are very angry with them about something they have done.
INFORMAL n-count usu sing
I got a severe telling off for not phoning him.
ticking off (tickings off plural )If you give someone a ticking off, you speak angrily to them because they have done something wrong.
(BRIT)
INFORMAL n-count usu sing
(=telling-off)
They got a ticking off from the police.
tip-off (tip-offs plural )A tip-off is a piece of information or a warning that you give to someone, often privately or secretly. n-count
The man was arrested at his home after a tip-off to police from a member of the public.
trade-off (trade-offs plural ), tradeoff A trade-off is a situation where you make a compromise between two things, or where you exchange all or part of one thing for another. (JOURNALISM) n-count
...the trade-off between inflation and unemployment.
turn-off (turn-offs plural )
1 n-count A turn-off is a road leading away from a major road or a motorway.
2 n-count Something that is a turn-off causes you to lose interest or sexual excitement.
INFORMAL usu sing
well-off , well off
Someone who is well-off is rich enough to be able to do and buy most of the things that they want.
INFORMAL adj
(=well-to-do)
My grandparents were quite well off.
The well-off are people who are well-off., n-plural the N
...higher tax rates on the well-off.
write-off (write-offs plural )
1 n-count Something such as a vehicle that is a write-off has been so badly damaged in an accident that it is not worth repairing.
(BRIT)
The car was a write-off, but everyone escaped unharmed.
2 n-count A write-off is the decision by a company or government to accept that they will never recover a debt or an amount of money that has been spent on something.
Mr James persuaded the banks to accept a large write-off of debt.
3 n-sing If you describe a plan or period of time as a write-off, you mean that it has been a failure and you have achieved nothing.
INFORMAL Today was really a bit of a write-off for me...
