go off

verb

went off; gone off; going off; goes off

intransitive verb

1

: explode

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to go forth, out, or away : leave

4

: to undergo decline or deterioration

5

: to follow the expected or desired course : proceed

the party went off well

6

: to make a characteristic noise : sound

could hear the alarm going off

Phrases

go off the deep end

1

: to enter recklessly on a course

2

: to become very much excited

Synonyms

• blow
• blow up
• burst
• crump
• detonate
• explode
• pop

Examples of go off in a Sentence

specialists were able to deactivate the bomb before it went off

the wedding went off without so much as a single glitch

Recent Examples on the Web

The fundamental problem in streaming is these shows that people get hooked on then go off the air for two and a half years. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025

Troopers then found the driver of the car that went off the embankment. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2025

Satisfied, the men secured their ropes to the top of the roof and went off the edge. —Jake Offenhartz, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

The kids were asleep in their bedrooms right across the hall when the gun went off. —Jason Pohl, Sacramento Bee, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

go off

verb

1

: explode sense 2b

2

: to burst forth or break out suddenly or noisily

3

: to take place : proceed

the dance went off as planned