tee off

verb

teed off; teeing off; tees off

intransitive verb

1
: to drive from a tee
2
3
: to hit hard
4
: to make an angry denunciation
often used with on

Examples of tee off in a Sentence

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.
The shortstop was 0-for-20 before teeing off on Abel in the top of the third. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 22 June 2025 Nearly three decades after teeing off, Happy Gilmore 2 is set to drop on Netflix on July 25, just in time to swing into summer. Allison Degrushe Published, EW.com, 19 June 2025 Rory McIlroy, who completed a career grand slam by winning the Masters in April, will tee off at 10:35 a.m. with Keegan Bradley, 2023 Travelers champ and captain for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2025 Patrick Smith/Getty Images Eleven minutes later, another must-see group will tee off. Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for tee off

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tee off was in 1895

Cite this Entry

“Tee off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tee%20off. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

tee off

verb
1
: to hit a golf ball from a tee in starting play on a hole
2

More from Merriam-Webster on tee off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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