offadv/ɒf/

• 1

  In a direction away from the speaker or other reference point.

  • He drove off in a cloud of smoke.
  • No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or[…]. And at last I began to realize in my harassed soul that all elusion was futile, and to take such holidays as I could get, when he was off with a girl, in a spirit of thankfulness.
• 2

  Into a state of non-operation or non-existence.

  • Please switch off the light when you leave.
  • The dinosaurs died off long ago.
• 3

  So as to remove or separate, or be removed or separated.

  • He bit off the end of the carrot.
  • Some branches were sawn off.
• 4

  Specifying the number of some item in bills, parts lists, etc.

  • 3 off 20 amp fuses
• 5

  entertainmentlifestyletheaterOffstage.

  • noises off
• 6

  Used in various other ways specific to individual idiomatic phrases, e.g. bring off, show off, put off, tell off, etc. See the entry for the individual phrase.

offadj/ɒf/

• 1

  Inoperative, disabled.

  • All the lights are off.
• 2

  Cancelled; not happening.

  • The party's off because the hostess is sick.
• 3

  Not fitted; not being worn.

  • Your feet will feel better once those tight boots are off.
  • The drink spilled out of the bottle because the top was off.
• 4

  Denoting something faulty, unsatisfactory, objectionable etc.

  • This calculation is off: the numbers don't add up.
  • Is it right to say 'the amount of cars'? It sounds off to me.
• 5

  Denoting something faulty, unsatisfactory, objectionable etc.

  • I felt that his comments were a bit off.
• 6

  Denoting something faulty, unsatisfactory, objectionable etc.

  • sales are off this quarter
• 7

  Denoting something faulty, unsatisfactory, objectionable etc.

• 8

  Denoting something faulty, unsatisfactory, objectionable etc.

  • This milk is off!

offprep/ɒf/

• 1

  Not positioned upon; away from a position upon.

  • He's off the roof now.
  • I took it off the table.
• 2

  Detached, separated, excluded or disconnected from; away from a position of attachment or connection to.

  • The phone is off the hook
  • The coat fell off the peg.
• 3

  Outside the area or region of.

  • The suspect is now believed to be off the campus.
  • I couldn't see what it said because the line of text ran off the page.
• 4

  Temporarily not attending (a usual place), especially owing to illness or holiday.

  • off work; off school
• 5

  Used to indicate the location or direction of one thing relative to another, implying adjacency or accessibility via.

  • His office is off this corridor on the right.
  • We're just off the main road.
• 6

  Used to indicate the location or direction of one thing relative to another, implying adjacency or accessibility via.

  • The island is 23 miles off the cape.
• 7

  Used to indicate the location or direction of one thing relative to another, implying adjacency or accessibility via.

  • He used to be gone a lot of the time, off working on an oil rig.
• 8

  Removed or subtracted from.

  • There's 20% off the list price.

offverb/ɒf/

• 1

  slangTo kill.

  • Most sorely missed is the relationship between Eggsy and Colin Firth’s delightfully avuncular mentor figure Harry Hart, who was offed, seemingly definitively with a bullet to the brain towards its end.
• 2

  To switch off.

  • Can you off the light?

offnoun/ɒf/

• 1

  Beginning; starting point.

  • He has been very obviously an untrustworthy narrator right from the off.
  • 2023 Royal Ascot suit ... are you ready for the off?(title)