come off

verb

came off; come off; coming off; comes off

intransitive verb

1
a
: to acquit oneself : fare
came off well in the contest
b
2
: succeed
a television series that never came offTV Guide
3
4
US, informal
used in phrases like where do you come off? to express anger or annoyance at what someone has said or done
Marie was bent over the table now, reading, her piping girlish voice hot with indignation. "Where does she come off, anyway?"T. Coraghessan Boyle

transitive verb

1
: to have recently completed or recovered from
coming off a good year
2
: to have recently stopped using (an illegal drug)
an addict who is coming off heroin

Examples of come off in a Sentence

couldn't believe that the wedding would actually come off—they've been “just dating” for years the attempted revival of the city's downtown never really came off, and even more stores eventually closed
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Whittaker is coming off a nasty submission loss to Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025 The Strike Force are coming off a 56-53 road win over Northern Arizona and are riding the hot hand of quarterback Nate Davis. Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025 Guard Tiffany Hayes returned after missing the last four games and came off the bench, scoring 10 points. Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 18 June 2025 McConnell is coming off a strong performance in Game 5. Tobias Bass, New York Times, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for come off

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of come off was in 1590

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Cite this Entry

“Come off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20off. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.

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