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 puck went off the inside of his leg and beat Jake Oettinger. —Joe Smith, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024

The shock of fireworks going off all at once makes matters worse, Bernal said, and dogs with past trauma may associate loud noises with pain. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024

Everyone then goes off and asks their network if there's any interest. —Mark Littler, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

Cummings said that one of the prompts was to bid farewell to her son going off to war using an English accent. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 17 Dec. 2024

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